The Elementals
by Harley97
Summary: AU Sixth Year. Takes place in PotC time. Harry learns that he and Anika Krum share Elemental powers. She transfers from Durmstrang to train with him, and soon they must go into hiding. Crossover with Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings.
1. Chapter 1

A/N- This is a cross over of Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings. Keep in mind that this takes place in Pirates of the Caribbean times, so it's around the early 1700's. I Hope you like it.

_Krum Mansion:_

Anika Krum was sitting at a table in the large library of the Krum Mansion. She sighed, closing the thick Charms book she had been reading for the last few hours, and looked around the large room, trying to find something to do.

She was about to give up, when she saw an open newspaper on a table nearby. She got up and walked over to it curiously.

The article on the front page talked about someone named Sirius Black falling through a Veil at the British Ministry.

Anika frowned. She remembered reading about the Veil and how to get someone out of it in Dark Art class at Durmstrange, back in her Third Year.

She re-read the article. About halfway through, two sentences caught her eyes.

'_Sirius Black is well-known in the Wizarding World for being suspected of betraying the Potter's to You-Know-Who. He is also the Godfather of Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived.'_

_I need to contact this 'Harry Potter',_ thought Anika. _He must go to Hogwarts. _

WhenViktor told her about the Triwizard Tournament, he had mentioned that Harry Potter attended school thereWhen they took summer trips to London, she had learned that almost all Hogwarts students got their school supplies at Diagon Alley.

_He will probably be going to Diagon Alley sometime soon…_

She stood up and walked out of the library, heading down the long staircase to the first floor to find her father. He spent most of his time in the sitting room, reading.

"Daddy?" she asked sweetly when she finally found him.

"What do you want this time, Anika?"

"Are we going to London this year?" she continued in the same tone.

"We went last year. And the year before, and the year before that." He said.

"But I want to go again this year!" Anika whined, knowing that if she acted like a brat she would probably be able to get what she wanted.

"We're going to Paris this year," said her father firmly.

"We can go to both." She stated hopefully.

"That would take too long. There are only 3 weeks left until school starts."

"But Viktor needs a new wand!" cried Anika, thinking of a perfect way to get to London. It was risky, but she had done it before, and she _knew_ that it would work.

"No, he doesn't." Her Father sounded suspicious now.

"He will." said Anika, completely sure.

"Anika, what are you thinking?" he asked tiredly.

"Oh, nothing, father." She said innocently, wide-eyed.

Her father stared at her for a few moments. He was used to her being a slightly spoiled brat. She'd do almost anything to get what she wanted.

"Alright," he gave up, knowing that if he didn't, she would find a way to make him. It was less painful to just give in. "We'll go to London."

Anika smiled smugly, and left the room.

She went to find Viktor's wand.

He wasn't home, so she went through his room with no trouble. It took nearly an hour, but when she finally found the wand, she quickly snapped it into four pieces. He had hidden it well, but he should have known she would get to it eventually.

Then she calmly turned and left the room.

When Viktor came home later that afternoon, he found the broken pieces of his wand sitting on his pillow. He instantly new what had happened.

"ANIKA SOPHAPHIA KRUM!" 

A few moments later, Anika calmly walked into the room.

"You called?" she asked sarcastically, then pretended to notice the wand, "Goodness, Viktor, you need to take better care of your things."

"I ought to…" Viktor looked ready to hit her. Thankfully, she was saved when their dad entered the room.

"Who's shouting? What did you do, Anika?"

"Daddy, I didn't do anything," she said, again using the wide-eyed, innocent look, "I just walked in and asked what was wrong, and he nearly hit me…"

"She broke my wand," exclaimed Viktor furiously, _"Again!" _

"Anika…"

"It's not true. I have not been anywhere near his room or his wand." Protested Anika.

"Anika Krum! I can't believe you've broken Viktor's wand for the _thirteenth_ time!" Her Father didn't believe her lies.

"22nd." muttered Anika under her breath. She regretted it when her brother looked even angrier than before, and her father looked surprised.

"Anika Sophaphia Krum, you are grounded until further notice!"

"But Dad!" exclaimed Anika, who honestly hadn't expected to be punished.

"No buts, Anika." Said her father.

"But _Dad!"_ cried Anika again, shocked. She'd only been grounded twice in her life.

"Go to your room, now." Said her dad.

"Dad –"

"Now!" 

As Anika stomped to her room, she muttered under her breath, "This is so unfair! It's not my fault Viktor is an idiot. He should learn to lock his door… Wait, I could unlock it with no wand anyway."

She waved her hand angrily toward her bedroom door, and it flew open, violently slamming against her wall as it did.

An identical door not far down the hall opened, and her mother stepped out into the hall, a curious expression on her face.

"I heard shouting. What's wrong?"

"I'm grounded for breaking Viktor's wand!"

"_Again?!"_ asked her mother, caught between surprised and amused.

"Yes, again," muttered Anika, before adding "He deserved it."

"Why did he deserve it?" her mom asked.

"Because he said I'll never be able to get control of my elemental powers, and blah, blah, blah." said Anika, rolling her eyes. It wasn't a complete lie; Viktor had said things like that several times.

"How long are you grounded this time?"

"'Until further notice'" repeated Anika with a sigh, "Can you un-ground me?" she added hopefully.

"No." her Mother shook her head, "I can't."

As Anika entered her room, she waved her hand fiercely at the door behind her, and it slammed shut.

She sat down at her desk and stared out the window. The newspaper had mentioned that Harry Potter had a best friend named Ron Weasley. She would write to him, she decided, and find out when she could meet them at Diagon Alley.

_Dear Ronald Weasley,_

_My name is Anika Krum. I'm writing because I have information that may help your friend. Could you please inform me of the date you will be visiting Diagon Alley?_

_Anika Krum_

She tied the parchment to the leg of her owl, Midnight. Midnight was a Snowy owl, but her spots were reversed. She was dark black with tiny white spots.

"Take this to Ronald Weasley of England, please." She said, and with that, Midnight flew off.

_The Burrow:_

Ron was sitting in his bedroom, wondering what his Mum would fix for lunch.

Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and most of the other Weasley's were all downstairs. Ron had left the room when Harry and Hermione started talking about O.W.L results. He had been doing his best to not think about the tests all summer. He was sure he had failed at least one.

He looked up as an owl flew in through one of his open windows. For a moment he thought it was Hedwig, but then he noticed the reversed colors.

The owl looked at him impatiently, and he frowned, grabbing the letter from it.

He read the letter, shocked that the famous Anika Krum would write to him. She was as famous as her brother, and everyone expected her to be the next big Quidditch player.

Without a single thought, he grabbed a piece of parchment and began to write a reply. He didn't even pause to think that she could be a Death Eater.

_Krum Mansion: _

Three days later, Anika finally received the reply from Weasley. She had been getting desperate, and she had been sure that Weasley had either thrown the letter away, or thought she was a supporter of Voldemort.

She opened the parchment quickly, and skimmed over the letter.

_Krum, _

_We're going to Diagon Alley on August 25. _

_Ron Weasley. _

"He would never survive in the Muggle world." muttered Anika, rolling her eyes.

They were Flooing to London in two days, which meant she would have time to plan a way to get away from her parents to meet with Potter and Weasley. Thankfully, they would be in Diagon Alley on the same day.

Anika hid the letter in a drawer of her desk, and walked downstairs. She had come up with a possible way to get un-grounded, but she wasn't sure it would work.

"Father?" she asked carefully, "Could we talk about un-grounding me?"

Her father nodded; though it was clear he didn't really expect to be given a good reason to un-ground her.

"I'll pay for Viktor's new wand when we go to Diagon Alley." she offered, "But only if you un-ground me. I don't wish to spend my vacation in the Hotel Room."

She knew that if she stayed grounded, she would not be allowed to leave the Hotel often, and if she did she would have to be with one of her parents. She also knew that they would never approve of her plan to rescue Sirius Black. They, like most of the Wizarding World, were sure that he was a dangerous, dead, criminal.

"We'll ask Viktor," decided her father after a few moments, "If he forgives you, and you pay for the wand, then I suppose you shouldn't be grounded."

"Thank you, Daddy!" she exclaimed. She didn't call him 'daddy' very often. Only when she was really happy or wanted something.

Then, she was off to find Viktor. She knew he wouldn't want her to be un-grounded, so she would have to bribe him.

When she got to his room on the third floor, she knocked impatiently on the door.

It swung open a few moments later, an annoyed looking Viktor glaring at her.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

"Father is going to ask you a very important question. I'm here to bribe you into saying yes." said Anika.

"You never play around with words, do you?" asked Viktor sarcastically.

"Not when I really want something." replied Anika seriously.

"I'm listening." said Viktor reluctantly.

"Okay. I told Father that I would pay for your new wand, if he would un-ground me. He said that he would ask you. If you forgave me, and you were alright with me paying for your wand, then he would agree."

"So," Anika continued, getting to the point, "What am I going to have to bribe you with to get you to say yes?"

"Hmm… So, you pay for the new wand, and Dad un-grounds you?" He seemed to be thinking hard about it.

"If you say yes," agreed Anika.

"You hate Caitlin," stated Viktor.

Anika nodded. Caitlin, Viktor's girlfriend, was sweet and innocent when Viktor was around, but Anika couldn't help but think that she was up to no good. Something about her seemed to scream 'danger'.

"I will say yes…If you are civil and polite to her… for an entire year."

Anika winced, but nodded in agreement after a moment.

"Once the year is over," continued Viktor, "You can be as rude as you like, whether we are still together or not."

The idea of being polite to Caitlin was horrendous enough to make Anika feel sick. But if it meant she could meet with Potter and Weasley, she knew she had no choice. Sirius Black's life was at risk, and Anika would not allow his death to be her fault.

Besides, she could always break the deal once she was un-grounded.

"Alright. I agree." she said.

Viktor nodded.

"Then I will tell Father that I agree to forgive you and let you pay for the wand."

"Pleasure doing business with you, then." said Anika formally.

With that, she left the room.

Once Anika was back in her own bedroom with the door locked, she fell into her chair.

_How can he expect me to be nice to that- that spoiled…woman!_ she wondered furiously, _And how could I agree?!_

Anika sighed. _I **have **to meet with Potter and Weasley. If this is the only way to do it, then I'll be nice to her. But once a year's over, she's going to get it!_

Wait a second… He never said exactly when that year would start…I will just say that it starts right when he agrees with Dad. 

The next morning, Anika woke up to someone pounding at her door. For a moment, she wondered if Death Eaters were attacking the house, the dismissed the thought. The wards would keep them out.

"Anika, are you ready yet? We're leaving in ten minutes!" exclaimed her father's voice, when the pounding stopped for a moment.

_Oh no,_ though Anika, _I overslept! _

"I'm almost ready, Father!" she called, leaping out of bed, "Just a moment!"

She used her special powers to summon her clothes and brush her teeth. She scrambled around the room, looking for anything she might have missed and packing things in her suitcase with her powers.

She rushed out of her room with three minutes to spare, and hurried downstairs to her family, who were gathered around the large fireplace in the sitting room.

"Where've you been?" asked Viktor, looking at her with amusement.

"I just woke up when Father knocked on my door," she said, gasping for breath.

"Well, it's time to go," said their Father, grabbing a pot of glittering green Floo powder, "Viktor, Floo with your sister."

"I can Floo by myself!" protested Anika instantly, "I'm fifteen for goodness sake!"

Her Father gave her a stern look.

"Anika…"

"Fine." she muttered unhappily, knowing better than to press him in the morning. She unhappily snatched a handful of Powder and stepped toward the flames. Viktor quickly followed.

"The Leaky Cauldron, London!" said Anika, tossing the Powder into the fire and jumping in, with Viktor right behind.

_The 25th of August:_

Anika, her Mother, her Father, and Viktor were standing in Ollivanders wand shop. Anika looked impatiently out the shop window, trying to judge the time by the position of the sun.

If she split up from her parents too soon, they would know something was up. It had been nearly an hour, and she hoped that Potter and the Weasley's had arrived at the Alley by now.

"Viktor, here is the money for your new wand." she handed him ten Galleons, "Father, can I please go shopping? This is terribly boring."

"Alright, Anika. Go." he said.

"Thank you!" called Anika, rushing out of the shop.

Walking down the crowded Alley, she spotted Hagrid standing outside of a new shop called Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. He was looking closely at anyone who walked by, and she immediately knew he was guarding something.

Or some_one. _

"Hello, Hagrid!" she called, walking toward him.

"Well, if it innit lit'le Arika Krum!" he said happily.

Anika ignored the fact that he mispronounced her name. He'd been doing it ever since they first met, in the Magical Alley near her home. He had been raiding the pet store for any dangerous creatures to play with.

"What are you doing here, Hagrid?" she asked, playing innocent.

"I'm guardin' 'Arry Potter!" exclaimed Hagrid loudly, not bothering to lower his voice.

Inside the shop, Harry heard that, and smacked himself on the forehead. Could Hagrid keep nothing secret?

"May I go inside and speak with him?" Anika asked sweetly.

"O' course!" said Hagrid, "'Ow do ya know 'im?"

"Sorry, Hagrid, that's classified information."

With that, Anika turned and walked into the shop.

It was crowded, but after a few moments of searching she was able to spot the famous fiery red hair of a Weasley. His picture had been in the paper, and there was no way she could forget such an… interesting hair color any time soon.

Immediately, she began walking forward, not taking her eyes off of the bright red head to make sure she didn't loose him in the crowd. Wherever Weasley was, Potter would most likely be nearby.

She just hoped that she'd spotted the right Weasley.

After a few moments, she was standing quite close to them, and saw that the boy next to Weasley with the messy black hair must have been Potter.

"Are you Harry Potter?" she asked formally.

He turned to face her, looking slightly confused. "Yes. Do I know you?"

"No. But I have some information that may help you." She replied.

"What kind of information? And your name is…?"

"I'm Anika Krum." She said, suddenly remembering her manners, "And I have information about the Veil."

Weasley, who had turned to ask Harry something, spotted her strawberry blond hair and blue eyes. He immediately knew who she was.

He grabbed Potter by the arm and pulled him away quickly. Anika noticed with amusement that she could still hear every word they said.

"Do you know who she is?!" demanded Ron.

Harry gave him an odd look. "Anika Krum," he replied, as though that was a stupid question, "She just told me."

"That's Viktor Krum's little sister!" hissed Ron, "Everyone expects her to be the next big Quidditch player- along with you."

Ron was wide-eyed and excited. He clearly worshipped Anika Krum.

"And she's _talking _to you!" he finished, seeming shocked.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," began Anika, a bit disturbed, "But I can't stay long. My parents will come looking for me."

"Sorry," said Harry. Ron just stared at her, google-eyed.

"I know a way to get your Godfather out of the Veil," said Anika quickly, "But it's Dark Magic, and we will not have a chance to try it until after Voldemort is defeated."

"She said You-Know-Who's name!" mumbled Ron to himself, "She's so brave!"

Harry frowned at him, "_I've_ said his name dozens of times."

_Why is Ron acting like an obsessed fan?_ He wondered.

"Why can't we try until after the war?" he asked out loud.

"Well, there are so many Aurors guarding the Ministry now, it would be almost impossible." She said.

"But isn't Sirius… dead?" asked Harry.

"Not really. He has everything he needs to survive, he just can't get out. Only three people have ever fallen through the Veil. Two died from insanity, but if your Godfather was able to survive 12 years in Azkaban, he should be fine until you defeat Voldemort."

"Is there any way I could send a letter to you if we need your help?" he asked, still taking in the information.

"When school starts again, on the first of September, send them to Durmstrange. Until then, I will be at Krum Manor."

"But Durmstrange is an all-boys school," said Harry, confused.

Anika smiled slightly, "I'm the only girl there. My brother teaches there now, and our parents wanted to keep me close to home, so they made a deal with the Headmaster to allow me to attend school with Viktor once I was old enough."

They went silent and turned toward the door as it swung open. Anika's smile disappeared as Viktor walked in with Caitlin at his side.

Viktor walked over to them, "Anika, Mother and Father are looking for you."

"Alright. Hello Caitlin, I didn't know you would be here." She added sweetly.

Caitlin gave her the usual 'I'm better than you' look, "I came to watch your brother play Quidditch."

Anika forced a smile, "I forgot that the Quidditch match was… tomorrow. I've been so busy thinking of other things that I forgot to keep up with the matches."

She turned to Viktor, "What do Mother and Father want me for?"

"Something about going to Muggle London and getting you new dresses." He said uncaringly.

Anika frowned, "I told Mother, I don't want English dresses! It's impossible to breath in them. I want Spanish dresses. They're far more pretty."

"Tell that to Mum." said Viktor, rolling his eyes.

Anika crossed her arms. "I will. Goodbye." she added to Harry and Ron, though Viktor didn't notice.

As Anika left the shop, Caitlin turned to Viktor.

"Why is your sister being nice all the sudden? Has she finally come to her senses?"

"I have no idea, but let's try to keep it going as long as we can." Said Viktor innocently.

_The dress shop in Muggle London a bit later that day:_

"Why do I have to wear this ridiculous thing?" asked Anika angrily, "It's ugly!"

Her Mother stepped back and looked the dress up and down, frowning.

"You are right," she said after a few moments. She turned to the dressmaker, "We need something far more pretty."

"Why do I have to wear English dresses?" continued Anika.

"Because all of you're other dresses are getting… old." said her Mother. The dresses still fit, but Anika had had most of them for at least two years, and they were getting very out-of-date.

The dressmaker brought out a beautiful pale blue dress covered in gold lace. It was extremely fluffy and weighed at least twenty pounds.

Anika quickly tried it on and stepped out of the dressing room.

"Can't… breath…" she gasped, "Too… tight…"

"It fits you perfectly!" exclaimed her Mother happily.

"Still… can't… breath…" muttered Anika.

"Anika Krum, stop that! I know you can breath perfectly well in English dresses, it is Chinese dresses that you have trouble breathing in at the moment." snapped her Mum.

"You can wear that to the special event tomorrow," added her Father. He made sure not to say 'Quidditch match', do to the fact that Muggles surrounded them.

And with that they left the store. Anika had gotten three new dresses.

**The Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings crossovers won't start until near the end of the story, possibly not even until the sequel, so they won't be around for a while. Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This story won't be updated very often, because Queen of Halloween has to be over for us to write the chapters, so we write as much as we can when we have the chance.

I'm sorry if some of you out there don't like that the Krum's haven't been speaking Bulgarian, but we don't know that language, and writing the accent would be extremely confusing.

_The Burrow, the Next Day:_

Harry, Hermione, and most of the Weasley's gathered in the kitchen of the Burrow the next morning after breakfast.

Fred, George, Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny would all be going to the Cup. Mr. Weasley would again be their escort, and at least a dozen Aurors would be stationed all around the stadium, 'just in case'.

Fred and George were absorbed in a conversation about their shop, and Mrs. Weasley was looking nervous. She clearly didn't want them to take such a risk, just for a Quidditch match.

"The Quidditch World Cup," said Ron excitedly, "I can't believe we get to go again!"

"We aren't going to stay the night this year," reminded Mr. Weasley, "We're only staying for the match, it's too dangerous to camp."

Mr. Weasley then turned and began speaking quietly to Mrs. Weasley, who would be staying at the Burrow. Ron turned to Harry.

"Wait a second," said the redhead, realization dawning on his face, "I bet I know who'll be there!"

"Ron, she's too young for you." reminded Harry, amused.

When Ron continued to daydream, staring into space with a hopeful expression, he frowned.

"Think of it this way: She's the same age as your baby sister."

The happy expression melted from Ron's face.

"Yes," agreed Ginny, while Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron, "And such long-distance relationships probably wouldn't work." Hearing Harry call her Ron's 'baby sister' had hurt a bit, but she didn't let it show.

"The Portkey will go off in ten seconds," said Mr. Weasley, returning his attention to the children.

They all reached out and grabbed onto a very familiar boot. It was the same smelly, ratty old thing that they had used two years before to get to the World Cup. For some strange reason none of them could understand, Dumbledore had kept it.

The Portkey went off, and for several moments they were swirling through dozens of colors and sounds.

Then, suddenly, it all stopped, and they landed heavily on the ground near the Quidditch stadium.

Mr. Weasley helped pull them to their feet, and they all looked around. It was exactly the same as they remembered it, filled to the max with witches and wizards from all over the world, all talking and laughing.

Instead of being at the very top, their seats were near the bottom of the stadium. There were only ten minutes left until the start of the match.

Ron had pulled out his magical binoculars and begun searching the crowd for anyone they knew, looking bored.

"There's Dean… and Lavender Brown… And _Malfoy."_ Ron spat the last name with a great deal of dislike.

"Really?" asked Hermione, frowning, "Where is he sitting this year?"

Ron scowled, "The Minister's Box. _Again. _I guess even catching Lucius Malfoy running around the Ministry with Death Eaters didn't stop him from letting that bloody little ferret do whatever he wants_"_

Harry sighed, "No doubt we'll hear about that when school starts. He'll probably be holding it over our heads for months."

Ron continued glaring at Malfoy for a few moments, before noticing that the Minister seemed to be holding a very long conversation with a very bored-looking Anika Krum.

"Hey," he muttered, "There's your friend!"

Harry blinked, "Who?"

"Yes, who?" echoed Hermione, looking confused.

"Krum," said Ron simply, not taking his eyes off of the person.

"Why would Viktor be in the stands?" Hermione asked, "He's playing in five minutes…"

"Not _Vicky,"_ said Ron, "His sister."

For once Hermione ignored Ron's use of 'Vicky', and nodded. "He told me about her."

"Harry knows her," said Ron unexpectedly.

Hermione turned to him curiously, "You do?"

Harry rolled his eyes, "In a way. She said she knows of a way to get Sirius out of the Veil."

"That's great!" Hermione exclaimed, then frowned, "When did she get a chance to tell you that? And how will she do it?"

"When we were in Diagon Alley. She must have known we would be there, because she seemed to have been looking for us." He made sure not to answer her last question. She would go crazy if she knew that saving Sirius would involve the use of Dark Magic.

"How would she know that we were in Diagon Alley?" asked Hermione suspiciously.

"I don't think Anika is a Death Eater," said Harry quickly, knowing that was what she was beginning to think, "Someone must have told her…"

"But who?" asked Hermione, frowning.

They both glanced at Ron.

"The match is starting!" he exclaimed happily, completely ignoring their conversation. They both turned to watch the match, momentarily forgetting their questions.

Viktor flew out above the field, along with the rest of the Bulgarian team. They stopped, watching and waiting for the Puddlemore United team to fly out.

Viktor, who was quite close to the Minister's Box, turned and smirked at Anika.

"Don't you wish you were out here?" he teased.

"Someday I will be. Just wait until I'm playing against you." She said, also smirking.

At that, the smug look melted off of Viktor's face.

He could just imagine what a match against her would be like, and somehow he didn't think it would have a happy outcome for him.

The match lasted for nearly four hours, and Viktor's team barely won. He caught the Snitch on pure chance, and the resulting 150 points allowed them to win, but only by 5 points.

As the fans began shouting happily, Anika was escorted down to the field to congratulate her brother.

The Bulgarian Minister of Magic was about to hand the Cup to Viktor's team captain, when everyone in the stadium froze. Something felt terribly wrong.

The loud cheering and shouting fell silent as around fifty Death Eaters appeared with loud popping noises.

The Aurors, who had been posted at various points around the field in case something like this happened, ran forward, shooting spells at the Death Eater's.

Anika was surprised when several of the Death Eater's turned toward her and shot spells together. She could understand why. Everyone else on the field was an adult, ready and able to defend themselves, and to the Death Eaters she would look like nothing more than an innocent little girl wearing a fluffy dress.

Thankfully, Durmstrang students were allowed to use magic during the summer breaks.

She barely managed to dodge three of the spells, and threw up the most powerful shielding charm she could think of to protect herself. Unfortunately, it was not a very strong shield. It blocked the spells, but the force knocked her to the ground.

In the stands, Mr. Weasley frantically held out the tattered boot as people jumped from there seats, practically trampling each other to get to an exit.

"Grab hold!" he exclaimed, "_Portus!"_

They all leapt forward to grab the boot. In the half-moment before the Portkey went off, Harry caught a glimpse of Anika falling to the ground on the field. Then the Portkey activated, and they disappeared.

As Anika fell, Viktor ran forward and began shooting his own spells, pushing through the Death Eater's to get to his sister.

Anika blinked and jump off of the ground. She pointed her wand at the nearest Death Eater and joined the fight, which was getting more violent and dangerous as screaming people ran for cover, or began fighting alongside the Aurors.

She didn't get to fight for very long, however, as a moment later Viktor reached her side and grabbed her by the arm, Apparating them both to the Locker Room, which had wards to keep out anyone who wasn't invited by a team member. They were re-set before each game.

"Stay here," said Viktor, "I will come get you when the fighting ends."

With that, he Apparated back onto the field, leaving Anika alone in the dark Locker Room.

For a moment she thought about running after him to help, then she sighed and sank down onto one of the benches. He would kill her if she even tried. She placed her head in one of her hands, before frowning and yanking it away.

There was blood running down the side of her face. After a moment she realized that it wasn't a very deep cut, but she still wouldn't be able to heal it on her own. She wasn't sure where the cut was.

It was so dark that she couldn't see anything, not even the blood on her hand.

She would have turned on the magical lights, but she knew it would be safer to keep them off. If the Death Eaters realized that someone was in the Locker Room, they would most likely get curious and find a way in, wards or not.

Ten minutes later, just as she was getting desperate enough to go back outside, the door burst open. Anika pointed her wand at the people entering, and then lowered it as she recognized them.

"Viktor! You nearly got your own head cut off!" she exclaimed. She carefully kept the bloodied side of her face turned away from him, knowing that he would go crazy with worry if he found out she was even the slightest bit injured.

As the team gathered up their things and got ready to leave, Anika frowned at Viktor.

"What happened?" she asked.

"The Aurors captured three Death Eaters. The rest Apparated away when Dumbledore arrived with several members of his 'Order'." He explained, not even glancing at her.

The captain of the Bulgarian team looked up at her, and frowned upon noticing the blood on her face.

Knowing what he had seen, Anika gave him a threatening look, but he completely ignored it.

"Viktor," he said, "I believe your sister is injured."

Viktor looked at Anika in alarm, but he could only see the good side of her face. He looked at her carefully, but could find nothing wrong.

"I don't see anything."

"Check the other side." suggested the captain.

By now the whole team was staring at her, and all of them could see the blood. She knew there was no way out of this one.

"I'm fine, Viktor," she lied, "Completely _fine."_

"Turn around." he said. When she didn't, he added, "Or I'll take you straight to Mum and let her fuss over you."

"Fine," grumbled Anika, turning.

The injury honestly wasn't very bad, but a great deal of blood had almost completely covered one side of her face, and it looked horribly painful.

"Bloody h–" began Viktor.

"It's just a small cut!" interrupted Anika.

"Then why is your face covered in blood?!" asked one of the Chasers.

"I… it…" For once Anika couldn't think of a response, so she settled for glaring at the Chaser.

"What happened to you?!" exclaimed her brother, shocked.

"It isn't as bad as it looks," she mumbled.

Viktor gave her a stern look, "That isn't what I asked."

Anika sighed, "I guess I cut myself when I hit the ground on the field." she admitted, "I didn't even notice it until you had gone back to the fighting."

The captain grabbed a clean towel from the shower room and handed it to Viktor, who began to carefully clean some of the blood off her face.

"_Ow!"_ she yelled, jumping backwards.

"Hold still!" he said.

"I'm trying. It's not exactly easy, you know!"

"I don't care, hold still."

He tried to touch her face again, but she jumped backwards even farther with a small noise of pain.

"If you don't hold still, I'll have someone hold you down." threatened Viktor.

Anika sighed again. "Fine."

_At the Burrow:_

"Why didn't we stay and help them fight?" demanded Ron the moment they appeared in the Weasley's front yard.

Mr. Weasley sighed.

"The Aurors and Order members will take care of everything, Ron." he said, opening the front door.

"Molly!" he called, walking inside the house with the Hogwarts students following.

A worried-looking Mrs. Weasley came down the stairs a few moments later, "Arthur? What's wrong?"

Mr. Weasley frowned, "Floo Dumbledore, and make sure he knows that Death Eaters attacked just as the match ended. The Aurors are fighting them, but there were at least fifty Death Eaters there."

Molly gasped, rushing into the kitchen to use the fireplace.

Ginny, Fred, and George had already gone up to their rooms, and Hermione had gone into the kitchen to check on Mrs. Weasley.

Ron was still grumbling under his breath about 'evil Death Eaters' and 'helpless innocents'.

Harry frowned at him, "Ron, we don't need to risk our lives to fight fifty Death Eaters when the Aurors are right there, and Voldemort is probably miles away." he said.

Ron stared at him, surprised.

"But what about all the innocent people _die_ if we don't try to help?!" he yelled.

"What innocents?" asked Harry, "I don't know if you noticed or not, but they all Apparated or Portkeyed away, like us. The ones who stayed to fight had a choice. If they die because of it, that would be their own fault."

"But you're a _Gryffindor!"_ exclaimed Ron, "Gryffindor's are supposed to be brave! We're _supposed_ to help protect people!"

"Yes, I'm a Gryffindor, but I'm also smart enough to realize when my life is in danger! We aren't even allowed to use magic outside of school, so unless you want to try fighting Death Eaters the Muggle way…"

"I think the Ministry would make an exception for it! It's a life and death situation!" shouted Ron, getting seriously angry.

"Do you not remember what happened to me last year?!" asked Harry, "They would expel you from Hogwarts for sure."

"You're probably just making that up!" Ron exclaimed.

Just then, Hermione walked in to the sitting room, just in time to see the desk standing right behind Ron burst violently into flames.

"Harry!" shouted Hermione, as Ron let out a shriek and jumped away from the fire.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley ran into the room, concerned upon hearing the startled scream.

Upon seeing the large ball of flames that had once been his desk, Mr. Weasley pulled out his wand and quickly shot water onto the fire, until it had gone out.

"_What_ is going on here!?" he asked, "Who used magic!?"

"I think I did," admitted Harry, "Ron and I were having a… disagreement. But I don't know how I did it..."

Molly placed a pale, slightly shaking hand to her mouth, muffling her words. "It's happening." she whispered, shocked.

"_What's_ happening?" demanded Harry, "What's going on?"

Molly and Arthur ignored him.

"Call Dumbledore again," said Mr. Weasley, "Tell him."

Harry, Hermione, and Ron watched in confused silence as Mrs. Weasley nodded and left the room, followed by a grim-looking Mr. Weasley.

"That was… odd," muttered Ron, momentarily forgetting their argument.

Harry and Hermione nodded in agreement, feeling beyond confused.

"Hermione…" asked Harry after a moment, "Do you know of any explanation for what that was about?"

"Magical power malfunction," she said, lost in her thoughts, "I think."

"I've done that before," he admitted, "But I never caught anything on fire. The last time, I blew up my Aunt Marge."

Ron nodded, "I remember when you told us about that,"

"I've never read anything about people being able to catch things on fire at will… I could probably find out, but it might be forbidden." said Hermione.

Ron looked even more confused.

"Why would it be forbidden?" he asked. Suddenly, a horrifying possibility occurred to him, "Is it Dark Magic?"

Hermione bit her lip, looking uncertain, "I don't know."

"That's reassuring." said Harry sarcastically.

They fell silent as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley entered the room again. They were alarmed when they noticed the tears in Mrs. Weasley's eyes.

"We are going to Number 12," began Mr. Weasley, "The Order is having a meeting."

_Oh no…_thought Harry, wanting to bang his head against a wall, _What have I done this time?_

After Mr. and Mrs. Weasley left, the three soon-to-be-Sixth-Years were left in an uneasy silence.

_Number 12, Grimmauld Place:_

"Quiet, please!" said Albus Dumbledore.

Immediately, the Order members who had gathered in the basement kitchen fell silent, waiting for Dumbledore to explain why he had called an emergency meeting and wondering what it was about.

"Today, Arthur and Molly gave me some disturbing news," began the Hogwarts Headmaster, "As you all most likely know from History of Magic lessons, every few hundred years there is an Elemental wizard, and, most of the time, an Elementess witch."

"What has that got to do with anything?" asked one Order member, looking confused.

"You will understand in a moment," said Dumbledore, "The most recent Elementals existed three hundred years ago. Both joined the Dark Lord of their time, and when he was defeated they took his place. Five years ago, the Ministry passed a law stating that schools could no longer teach about Elementals in History of Magic classes."

"Today, I have been informed that there is a new Elemental, and we have reason to believe that there is also an Elementess."

"_What?!"_ exclaimed several people together.

"What does this mean?" asked Viktor Krum, who had joined the Order only two weeks before.

"Who are they?" demanded Mad-Eye Moody, "We'll have to kill _them_ before they decide to kill _us."_

"We cannot kill them," stated Dumbledore over the shouts of the Order. They fell silent. "If we were to kill the Elemental, we would have no hope of ever defeating Voldemort."

"What about the Elementess?" asked Moody hopefully.

"We cannot kill her either." Dumbledore said firmly. Moody looked disappointed.

"We must find both of them and begin their training," continued the Headmaster, "Otherwise we may loose them to the Dark."

Viktor looked calm, but inside he was scared. He knew that Anika had to be the Elementess, and the thought of her going Dark made him frightened.

"Can we at least know the names of the Elementals?" asked Tonks, acting serious for once.

Dumbledore sighed. "You deserve to know," he agreed, "I cannot reveal the name of the Elementess, as we are not entirely sure if she is the one we are looking for. But the Elemental is quite close to many of you…"

Every Order member felt alarmed at that.

"The Elemental is… Harry Potter." said Dumbledore.

At that, even Viktor felt dread fill him.

_No…_ went through the minds of almost every Order member.

"Harry has always been around Light wizards. He would never go Dark." stated Remus Lupin firmly.

"You don't know that, Lupin," cautioned Moody, "If this Elementess gets too close to him and begins to teach him Dark Magic, you never know what they might do."

"So how do we find the Elementess?' asked Remus, ignoring Moody.

"I am already searching for her." said the Headmaster.

"This meeting is over," continued Dumbledore after a moment.

The Order members got up from their seats, still lost in their thoughts as they Flooed back to their homes.

Viktor stayed behind, wanting to talk to Dumbledore about Anika.

"What are we going to do?" he asked, "They can't train together, they're not even on the same continent!"

Dumbledore sighed, "I have been wanting to talk to you about this. I have spoken to Headmaster of Durmstrang, and we have come to an agreement. Miss Krum will be transferred to Hogwarts this year."

Viktor nodded. He knew it was the right thing to do, but he didn't trust Anika in an unfamiliar school, with no one to keep her out of trouble.

"And I have also spoken to the Headmaster about a request to have you also be transferred to Hogwarts. We need a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Since you teach Dark Arts at Durmstrang, it shouldn't be too different." Dumbledore said.

Viktor frowned for a moment, thinking it over, "Yes. That sounds fine. How will we tell Anika that she is transferring? She won't be happy about it."

"She will continue school at Durmstrang for a week, then her Headmaster will inform her of our decision."

"She still won't agree to it." said Viktor, shaking his head.

"I'm afraid Miss Krum has no choice." said Dumbledore, also frowning.

A/N: We made up the word 'Elementess'. It just seemed to fit. Please leave a review, even if it's short. We would love to know what our readers think, whether you enjoy the story or hate it.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Please, please, please review, readers!

_At Durmstrang:_

Anika, looking extremely bored, was wandering through the halls of Durmstrang when Viktor came around a corner right in front of her.

Anika had been staring at the floor, thinking, and jumped when she heard Viktor's footsteps.

A huge hole formed under Viktor's feet, and, with a noise of shock, he fell right in. Anika rushed to the edge and looked down, feeling shocked when she saw that it was about fifty feet deep, straight down.

It was also starting to fill with water.

"Sweet Merlin! I've killed my own brother…" she muttered.

"Anika Krum! Fix this, now!" shouted Viktor's voice. He was so far down that she could barely hear it.

"I've never made a hole this big! The last one was… what? Ten feet?"

"Well, at least _try! _Before I drown!" he shouted.

Anika closed her eyes, willing the ground to move up, to get Viktor out of the hole. After a few moments, she opened her eyes, looking down into the hole.

"Is it working?"

"I'm not sure. It could just be the water lifting me up." He snapped.

"Ground, _move!" _ Anika cried, getting frustrated.

The ground at the bottom of the hole shot up, taking Viktor with it. It stopped when it reached ground level, and the water that had been filling the hole flooded the corridor.

"Sorry about that…"

"Shouldn't you be in class?" he asked, now soaking wet. With an annoyed sigh, he pulled out his wand and cast a drying spell.

He was not at all looking forward to informing her that she had to go to Hogwarts. He had put it off until the very last minute. Today was the day she was supposed to leave, and she didn't even know it yet.

"Viktor, are you sick? Because, in case you haven't noticed, _no one_ has class today. It's Saturday." said Anika dryly, thankful to get off the subject of his near-drowning.

"Oh. Right."

Anika looked at him suspiciously, "Is there something you need to tell me?"

_Does she know?!_ Viktor wondered, alarmed.

"Actually… Yes…"

"Well, what is it?" she demanded. Anika didn't enjoy it when people kept important things a secret. She wished they would be more to the point.

"Come to my classroom," said Viktor finally, "I'll tell you there."

When they got to the Dark Arts classroom, Anika frowned.

"Are you not teaching any more? Why are all your things packed?"

"I'm not teaching at _this_ school anymore. But that isn't all I need to tell you."

Anika sat down on one of the desktops with a sigh.

"Alright. Who died?"

Viktor blinked. "No one…"

"Then what's wrong?" asked Anika, now looking slightly nervous.

"Well… I'm going to teach at Hogwarts… You're going too."

"_What?!"_ asked Anika, staring at him in horror.

"You are being transferred. Hogwarts will be a much better school for you." said Viktor.

"Durmstrang is fine for me!" she exclaimed, "I have high grades… Mother and Father would _never_ agree to let me attend a school so far away!"

"They already have." Viktor stated, "Since I'm going with you, they agreed."

"But what's at Hogwarts, that Durmstrang doesn't have?!" demanded Anika.

"The Elemental." confessed Viktor under his breath.

"_Elemental?!_ I'm an Elementess?" Anika stared at him for a moment, "So who's my Elemental?"

Viktor frowned at her sarcastic tone, but didn't comment on it.

"Harry Potter."

"But I don't even know Ha- Potter!" she caught herself at the last moment. Viktor raised an eyebrow, noticing her near-slip.

"I know you two met in Diagon Alley," he said.

"No we didn't," said Anika innocently, "I have no _idea_ of what you are talking about."

"Anika…" said Viktor warningly.

"…Fine," she finally admitted, clearing her throat nervously, "I talked to him a bit in Diagon Alley."

"Why?" asked Viktor.

"Actually, I was just standing there, and we bumped into each other. Literally." She lied quickly.

Viktor clearly didn't believe that, but didn't press the issue.

"So," began Anika, trying to change the subject, "When do we leave?"

Viktor frowned. "Don't blow anything up, or make any more holes of doom…" he cautioned, "But… we leave today."

"_What?!" _Anika exclaimed, "I'm not even packed!"

"Your things are being packed by the House Elves right now," said Viktor.

"Those filthy creatures are touching my stuff?!" cried Anika, "How dare they!"

"The Headmaster is watching them very closely." said Viktor.

There was a knock at the door, and it swung open without waiting for permission. The Headmaster walked inside, Anika's trunk floating behind him.

"Headmaster, I really don't wish to go to Hogwarts." said Anika, as respectfully as she could in the situation.

"I'm afraid you have no choice." replied the Headmaster.

"Who _really_ said that?" asked Anika, not impressed.

"Dumbledore," confirmed Viktor before their Headmaster had a chance to speak.

Anika frowned, an angered glint appearing in her eyes, "I've never liked Dumbledore."

Viktor sighed, "You've never even met the man." he said, shaking his head slightly.

"I still don't like him." she replied shortly.

"Well…" the Headmaster looked slightly confused, "Are you ready to Floo?"

"Yes. How are our things going to get there?" asked Anika. She had never liked the Floo, "Because you seem to have an awful lot of things, Viktor."

"It will be there when you get there." said the Headmaster.

"How?" asked Anika again.

"Magic." said Viktor, smirking.

"I knew that already." snapped Anika.

"You do know you could be punished for using that tone." reminded Viktor.

"Sorry." said Anika reluctantly.

"Let's go, then." Viktor said, stepping toward the fireplace and grabbing some Floo powder.

_Hogwarts:_

"I despise Flooing." muttered Anika as she brushed dust and soot of her uniform.

"Ah, your finally here." greeted Dumbledore, eyes twinkling as usual.

"She only found out about this today," said Viktor, trying to excuse his sister's rude behavior.

Dumbledore nodded, his expression not changing. Anika wished she could wipe that too-happy look off his face.

"Well, Miss Krum, please take a seat. You must be Sorted into a House." said Dumbledore, gesturing to a tattered, frayed old Hat sitting on his desk.

"Sorted, sir?" questioned Anika through clenched teeth. She was doing her absolute best to be nice, but it didn't seem to be working. Her temper was not good when it came to putting up with insanely cheerful people.

"Yes, Sorted. There are four Houses of Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin."

Dumbledore picked up the Hat; "Gryffindor is for the brave and courageous. Ravenclaw is for the intelligent and quick thinking. Hufflepuff are the loyal and hardworking, and Slytherin are the cunning and sly."

Anika didn't miss the obvious favoritism of Gryffindor in that explanation. It made her want to roll her eyes, but she restrained herself, remembering that she could get slapped for such disrespect.

Without a word, Anika shoved it onto her head, and Viktor caught a half-second glimpse of her sour expression before her face was covered slightly by the Hat.

Anika Krum… 

Anika nearly ripped the Hat off her head right then.

_No, you are not hearing things. I am the Sorting Hat. _

'Well, get out of my thoughts!' Anika exclaimed mentally.

_I have to read them. That's how students are Sorted. Oh, you're an Elementess… I haven't Sorted one of them in at least 300 years._

'This is a complete invasion of my privacy.' Anika thought in protest, though she knew it was pointless.

_Brave, when you or someone you are close to is in danger. Loyal, though it is to a very limited few. _

The Hat paused, _not enough to fit into Hufflepuff. Intelligent, when you need or want to be. You would make Ravenclaw proud. But you are also sly, cunning, and sneaky, enough to be a Slytherin. _

'Yes, I get it.' Anika snapped, 'Now could you hurry up?'

_Oh, a temper._ The Hat sounded as though it would be smirking if it were a person.

So, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin… 

'I don't care where you put me,' Anika thought, 'Just hurry up!'

_You are many people in one person,_ said the Hat mysteriously.

"RAVENCLAW!"

Anika violently pulled off the Hat.

"May I go now?" she asked.

"No, Miss Krum. Dinner starts in five minutes, and your presence must be announced to the other students."

"_Viktor's_ presence must be announced," corrected Anika, "Not mine."

Dumbledore still had that happy expression on his face, though she could tell there was a slight strain in the smile, as though he wanted to frown at her but couldn't.

"Hogwarts has not had a transfer student in nearly five hundred years." said Dumbledore, "It will be a special occasion."

_I'll give you a 'special occasion'…_ thought Anika threateningly, as they walked out of the Office and toward what she guessed might be the Great Hall.

Dumbledore entered the Hall, and everyone went silent. He walked calmly up to his seat at the Staff Table, before addressing the students and teachers.

"Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor has finally arrived. Please welcome Professor Viktor Krum,"

The Hall was shocked for several moments, before his words fully registered, and they burst into polite applause as Viktor entered the room and took his own seat at the Staff Table.

"And we also have a new transfer student, from Durmstrang. She…"

Everyone who had been listening but not really paying much attention to his words snapped their eyes onto him in surprise. It was widely known that Durmstrang was an all-boys school.

At the Gryffindor Table, Harry remained silent, though he had a good idea of who the transfer student might be.

"She… will be joining Ravenclaw House, and is in Fifth Year." continued the Headmaster.

_No doubt about it now, _thought Harry, _It can't really be anyone else…_

"Anika Krum." Dumbledore finished.

Anika, feeling rather sour toward Dumbledore, stepped into the Hall as gracefully as she possibly could, with her best 'I don't want to be here, but I'm still better than you' attitude.

The only people who noticed it, however, were Dumbledore, Viktor, Harry, and Draco Malfoy, whose eyebrows rose in surprise.

He knew that the Krum's were Purebloods, but he hadn't really expected them to have the 'Pureblood attitude'.

_I kind of like it,_ he thought, watching Anika Krum sit down at the end of the Ravenclaw Table.

_Wait a second. That doesn't seem at all like the way she acted in Diagon Alley,_ thought Harry, _Something must be wrong. _

_  
_As the food appeared on the Tables and Hermione got into yet another violent argument with Ron, Harry kept shooting glances across the Hall at Anika.

After a few minutes, she looked up from the food she had been glaring at and met his eyes.

_What are you doing here?_ Harry mouthed to her.

Anika momentarily looked confused, before frowning, _I'll tell you later. Meet me an hour after dinner, in the Entrance Hall. _

Harry nodded to show that he understood, and they went back to their food.

Up at the Staff Table, Dumbledore had noticed them mouthing messages to each other, and could have banged his head into a wall. He had dearly hoped that they would not know each other, but it seemed they were already friends.

"How could they have met?" he muttered to himself.

It was his worst fear. Now Anika would have a chance to tell Harry about the 'Elemental Situation' before him. Harry would probably never trust him again.

"I have no idea," answered Viktor innocently.

_One Hour After Dinner, in the Entrance Hall:_

"So, why are you here?" asked Harry curiously.

Anika frowned at him again, "Didn't they tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Harry's voice had a 'who died?' quality to it now.

"They didn't tell you about… Anything involving Elementals?" she finally asked, unsure of how to word the question.

"What's an Elemental?" he asked, confused.

"What do they teach you people here?!" Anika sighed, and explained about the Elementals and Elementess', along with the fact that the most recent were from 300 years ago and had been a Dark wizard and witch.

"What does that have to do with you being here?" he asked.

"Harry, don't you understand? _I'm _the Elementess! The Elemental goes to school here!"

"Who?"

"_You, _Harry." said Anika.

"But I don't have Elemental powers!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, you do. Supposedly you blew up someone's desk… I can prove it." She stated, holding out a hand, palm up, and using her Earth Elemental. Power to cause dirt to appear there.

Harry stared at it, completely shocked.

"See, I told you! You're an Elemental!" Anika exclaimed.

"What?"

"You have a ball of fire in your hand."

Harry glanced at his hands and, of course, she was right.

"Alright… That is certainly odd." He said, trying to put it out. It didn't seem to be working.

"I would put it out with Water, but I don't really have enough control over it yet. You would probably wind up soaking wet." she said.

At the sound of footsteps, they both forgot about the fire completely and looked around for a hiding place.

They didn't find one.

"Ah, Harry, Miss Krum." Dumbledore's voice said cheerfully.

Anika closed her eyes and began counting to ten, trying to hold onto some bit of patience, and Harry frowned.

Dumbledore felt a bit alarmed at finding them together. He had hoped they wouldn't be very close, or become friends at all.

And finding the two of them talking like old friends, Anika had no doubt been telling Harry about their Elements, judging by the fact that his hand seemed to be on fire.

"Could you two please come to my Office? I believe that the three of us need to have a talk." said the Headmaster.

Harry stared up at him, "I don't think so," he said, and Dumbledore felt surprised. He had never heard Harry use such a cold tone with anyone but Draco Malfoy.

"We have no reason to go to your Office," agreed Anika, "We aren't in trouble, and curfew isn't for another hour, I think."

The two students turned and walked away, leaving Dumbledore standing in the dark Entrance Hall, gaping like a fish.

"So what do Elementals do, exactly?" asked Harry curiously, once they were far enough from Dumbledore that he wouldn't be able to hear them.

"We have control over the four elements: Fire, Air, Water, and Earth. I can control Earth and Water, so I'm guessing that you can control Fire and Air." she replied.

"That _would _explain how I set the desk on fire…" agreed Harry, "And how I blew up my Aunt."

"You blew up your Aunt?!" Anika asked, looking both alarmed and amused.

"She didn't explode, if that's what you're thinking. More like a Muggle ball, actually."

"Nice," smirked Anika.

After a few minutes they went their separate ways to their Common Rooms and dorms.

_The Next Day:_

Professor Viktor Krum was midway through teaching the Fifth Year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuff's about vampires when the classroom door swung open.

Annoyed at being so rudely interrupted, he glanced up at the door and stopped.

"Headmaster Dumbledore needs to speak with Miss Aniika Krum." squeaked the House-Elf in the doorway.

Viktor turned to Anika curiously, "You're in trouble already? You've only been here, what, a day?"

Anika opened her mouth to protest, and then paused, thinking.

"I… didn't do anything yet." she finally admitted, blinking in surprise.

Viktor raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing her.

She stood, grabbed her book bag and, glaring evilly at the Elf, followed it out of the classroom.

They headed up the Grand Staircase and to the seventh floor. When they reached the gargoyle guarding the office, the Elf disappeared.

Anika ran her eyes over the gargoyle, trying to find a doorknob or handle of some sort.

After a few moments, she realized it must need some sort of password.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, hoping the Elf might hear, "I don't know the password!"

"Lemon Drops." Came a voice from behind her.

Anika spun around so fast she nearly fell over.

"Harry!" she exclaimed, "Don't do that. You scared me. How do _you_ know the password?"

"McGonagall told me." he replied, "She favors the Gryffindors."

"Are you trying to tell me something?" she asked.

"No, I'm just telling you what I know."

"So why does Dumbledore need to speak with us?" Anika asked.

""I have no idea." Harry replied, before turning to the gargoyle, "Lemon Drops."

The gargoyle opened, and they stepped on the spiral staircase up to the Headmaster's Office.

"Enter." called Dumbledore's voice as the door to his office swung open before they had a chance to knock. Anika frowned, wondering what spell he had used to let him know when the gargoyle opened.

"What do you need to see us for, Professor?" asked Harry, entering the Office.

"I believe there are some things we need to discuss." he replied, before offering them a bowl full of yellow candies, "Lemon Drops?"

"You offer Truth and Calming Potions to your guests?" asked Anika sarcastically.

Harry frowned at Dumbledore, "You spike the candy?"

"How did you know that, Miss Krum?" asked Dumbledore, eating a Lemon Drop.

"My Headmaster did the same thing." she said shortly, "Is this about us being Elementals?"

"Yes. You both need to start your training immediately to learn to control your powers."

"You mean the powers you kept secret from me in the hope that they would go away?" asked Harry, obviously still angry over that little fact.

"Yes, because you, Harry, already had more than enough powers to use in your lifetime. If you lost your Elemental powers they would have gone to Anika."

"And if she had been Dark, you would have had to deal with an Elementess who could control _all_ of the Elements!" snapped Harry.

Dumbledore frowned, "I admit that I never thought quite so far ahead as that." He said after a moment.

Anika, who had been silent through the 'argument' spoke up, "How are we supposed to train? If there are no living Elementals to teach us, and the last ones died 300 years ago…"

"The Room of Requirements." supplied Dumbledore, "You will simply have to work together."

"You mean try random things and hope we don't blow the castle to bits?"

"You would not be able to do that much damage. The spells and wards on the castle would make such a thing impossible." The Headmaster replied.

"Are you completely sure of that? It's the exact thing my old Headmaster said, and I nearly made the castle collapse." said Anika.

Dumbledore appeared a bit alarmed for a moment, "I am sure." He stated after a moment.

"How are we supposed to find time to train?" asked Harry, "We have classes and homework. Even on the weekends, I have Quidditch."

"What about free periods?" suggested Dumbledore.

"That might work," nodded Anika, "But I usually used those to catch up on class work. I have to work in harder in classes than usual because of O.W.L's."

"We couldn't use free periods. Mine are almost all in fifth period…"

"And mine are all in sixth." Finished Anika, frowning, "So we will have to practice on our own, and try to find some time to practice together."

**A/N: Please review.**


	4. Chapter 4

The next night after dinner, Anika was practicing her Waterpowers in the Room of Requirement. She shot a stream of swirling water at the wall as hard as she could, and it hit the target hanging there, soaking part of the floor in the process. With a mental command, the Room dried itself.

She turned and shot another toward the door of the room. Unexpectedly, it opened at that moment. Anika was so surprised that she didn't have time to call the Water back.

A wall of flames shot up around Harry, vaporizing the stream of water just before it would have hit him.

Anika frowned, "You evaporated my water!"

"You're the one who shot it at me," replied Harry, "You should be more careful where you aim that stuff. You might take someone's eyes out or something."

Anika sighed, "Yes, I know that. But I'm being careful. You're the one who just _had_ to choose the worst moment to open the door. What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you were busy."

"I managed to escape Ron and Hermione. They've been very curious about why you're here, actually." said Harry.

Anika looked slightly alarmed, "What did you tell them?"

"I mentioned your idea about bringing Sirius back," at Anika's angry look, he continued, "But I didn't tell them anything about the Dark Magic."

"Good, because if you had, they might have told Viktor. Then he would tell my parents, and they would tell Dumbledore, and…" she shook her head, "I'm not even going to go there. In short, it would have been a very long road of pain for me."

"I know. That's why I didn't tell them. Hermione has a lot of questions about it, though. She's been searching the Library to try and find out what we plan to do." Harry frowned, "Sometimes that annoys me."

Anika nodded in agreement. Then, she got a dangerous gleam in her eyes, "Do you want to practice with me?"

"That _is_ what I came here for." Harry replied.

"Good." Without another word, Anika shot another stream of Water at him. Harry's eyes widened, and the shield of fire came up, but not quite fast enough. He still got rather wet.

"What was _that_ for!?"

Anika shrugged, "It was fun."

Harry scowled at her and, focusing hard, raised his hand. A ball of fire flew toward her. Anika gave a yelp of surprise, her hand automatically flying up to protect her face. Her shield, made of clear blue water, appeared in front of her. It blocked most of the heat, but her fingers still got singed.

"That wasn't fair." Anika stated flatly.

Frowning in determination, she focused on the stone floor beneath his feet. After a moment, it began to crumble and shift, tossing Harry backwards onto the floor. He hit with a thump, then sat up and glared at her. Anika gave a cheeky wave and an innocent smile.

Using the power of wind, Harry sent her dirt flying back at her, along with a pocket of air that hit her in the stomach hard. With a muffled curse, she was knocked to the floor as well.

Anika sat up, rubbing the side of her head with her burnt fingers. Harry had a smudge of dirt on one side of his face, and his wet hair was sticking up oddly. They both looked ridiculous, in her opinion.

"Alright, maybe we should stop trying to outdo each other." spoke Harry, standing up and shaking his head slightly.

"I agree." Anika said, pulling herself up as well, "We may end up destroying the castle if we keep this up."

Harry nodded in agreement, "What were you doing before I came in? It may work better if we don't use our powers against each other until we can control them better."

"I was just shooting at that target, working on my aim. I can conjure the Water bullets, which is what I've started calling them, but it's harder to work with Earth." Anika admitted, "I think we both have a strong Element and a slightly weaker one."

"I think so. Fire's really easy for me, but it takes a bit more concentration to work with Air…"

"Well, we'll just have to practice, I guess." said Anika, "Now, enough talking. I want to shoot something."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

About two hours later, they sat on the floor, leaning their backs against the walls and tending to their injuries. Just because they weren't aiming for each other didn't mean that they didn't get hit every now-and-then.

As they did their best to heal themselves, they talked.

"Was Durmstrang a nice school?" asked Harry with interest.

"It was fun, even though I was the only girl there. I got away with all kinds of things because the teachers thought I looked sweet compared to the boys. The Quidditch there was even more competitive than here." Anika replied.

"Are you going to join the Ravenclaw team?"

"I doubt it. Everyone expects me to become a professional player, and I really do love to play, but these are just school teams. Nothing special. Although, I suppose you can never get too much practice…" she paused, then, "Do you play?"

"Seeker. I have since First Year. McGonagall said I was the youngest player in a century," said Harry, "My dad was a Chaser."

Anika nodded, "I played Beater."

Harry almost choked on thin air, "_You?!_ A _Beater?"_

Anika smirked, "It surprised my brother, too. And everyone else at the school. I can play seeker, too, if I want."

"You can play both? You're kind of small to be a Beater…"

"I'm stronger than I look." stated Anika.

"So, _are_ you going to try out? They're looking for a new Beater, since one left least year."

"Well, I wasn't going to."

"I think you should. When are the tryouts?" asked Harry.

"Tomorrow." said Anika, conjuring a ball of Water in the palm of her hand and beginning to play with it.

"I still think you should try out. What could it hurt, anyway? And we might have more time to practice if our schedules were more similar." Harry said convincingly, "It'd be fun."

Anika stared at the water for several moments, "Alright. I think I will."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

With a frown, Anika made her way to the Quidditch stadium the next afternoon, holding her broom in her hand. There were a few people in the stands, and a few wandering around the field, holding their own brooms and waiting for their turn to try out.

She joined them, leaning against her broomstick and watching whatever idiot was up in the air, trying out for Keeper. The little Third Year could barely block a single goal.

After a few more minutes, the Ravenclaw captain, Roger Davies, sighed and called the kid back down.

"Are you here to try out?" he asked, turning his attention to Anika.

"Yes." she replied.

Roger took out a clipboard and a quill, "Name and position?"

"Anika Krum. Beater, and possibly backup Seeker."

The people near enough to have overheard that seemed to be holding back laughs at the idea of her being a Beater. Anika shot a glare at them all.

Frowning, he looked at her. "You're kind of small to be a Beater."

"Hand me a Bat and tell me where to aim, or what you want me to hit." said Anika, not backing down.

"Alright. I can't really tell you that you can't try…" he picked up a Bat from the ground nearby and tossed it to her. She caught it easily, and his eyebrows rose in surprise. Anika smirked at him and mounted her broom.

"Alright, so what do you want me to hit?" she questioned.

"Err… Aim for the middle goal, at the other end of the field." Roger said.

Anika didn't even hesitate when the Bludger came flying toward her. She raised the Bat high and hit it as hard as she could. It went flying toward the goalposts, making the captains eyes widen in shock when it went right through the center hoop.

"_Now_ where do you want me to aim?" Anika's smirk was even wider now.

"Seat 135." The Ravenclaw captain knew that the teachers wouldn't be happy about that one, but seat 135 was at the other end of the field, in a corner. It would be almost impossible to hit.

The Bludger came back again. Anika frowned in concentration, then swung her Bat. The Bludger went sailing toward the other end of the field again. Everyone in the stadium was staring as it headed toward the stands.

There was a loud smack as it hit the footrest of seat 135.

It hadn't hit the _seat_, exactly, but it had only missed by a few inches.

"Anywhere else you want me to hit?" asked Anika.

"No, you'd probably cause too much damage." He paused, "You can try for Seeker now."

Cho Chang, who was not far away, looked up sharply at that, "But Seeker isn't open!"

The captain frowned at her, "She can try for _backup_ Seeker, then."

Cho shot a glare at Anika, which she returned with a mocking smile. Thankfully, the captain didn't notice their rivalry.

He set the Snitch loose and had Anika wait for several minutes while it flew away. Finally, he gestured for her to go, and she shot off in the direction that she had last seen the small golden ball.

It only took her around three minutes to find the Snitch and another five to catch it. Down on the ground, Cho turned to the captain.

"She can't even catch a Snitch in five minutes." She pointed out, hoping to make Anika look bad.

"Neither can you." Roger replied shortly. He didn't take his eyes off of the Fifth Year, who had finally succeeded in capturing the Snitch.

"Was that good enough?" asked Anika, landing on the ground and holding out the Snitch to the captain.

"Yes. You're our new Beater and reserve Seeker."

Cho's jaw dropped in outrage.

"See you at practice." With that, Anika turned and hurried back toward the castle to share the news.

"You like her. _That's_ the only reason you gave her two positions!" accused Cho with a scowl.

"Did you not see how well she did? You _know_ she deserves to be on the team."

"But she's a _bitch!"_ shouted Cho.

The people who were still in the nearby stands turned to stare at her, and her face turned red. But she was still glaring at her captain.

"Watch your mouth, Chang," warned Roger, "You wouldn't want to find yourself kicked off the team, would you?"

"Fine. See you at practice." And with that, Cho stomped off the field, glaring at everyone she passed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Anika headed for the Room of Requirement, hoping to find Harry there. She was actually happy to have gotten on the team, even if she hadn't really thought much of it earlier.

When she reached the seventh floor she turned a corner… and fell to the floor as she collided head-on with another student.

"Ouch! Why does this keep happening to me lately?" she muttered to herself, getting up.

"Are you and the floor becoming good friends?" asked Harry, smirking.

"Oh, yes." said Anika sarcastically, "And such a good friend it is."

"So, did you make it?" he asked after a moment as they began walking toward the Room.

"Yes. Beater and reserve Seeker. I thought Chang was going to attack me." Anika said, "She sure is competitive."

"Well, I don't think they've ever had a reserve Seeker before. She probably thinks she's being replaced."

She nodded, "So, shall we go practice?"

"Of course." Harry agreed, matching her sarcastically formal tone.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Anika left the Room of Requirement and headed downstairs toward the grounds for Quidditch practice.

She was halfway through the third floor corridor when she saw Hermione coming toward her, looking determined. Anika glanced around, wondering if she should hide somewhere.

"Krum, can I speak with you?" asked Hermione.

Too late to hide now… 

Anika put on a false smile, "Sure. You're Hermione, right? Harry's friend?"

"Yes." Said Hermione, before getting straight to the point; "I've been wanting to talk with you about how you plan to get Sirius out of the Veil."

"Oh really?" Anika asked, trying to sound polite.

Hermione nodded, "I've been wondering how you plan to do it. I searched the whole Hogwarts library, but I couldn't find a single mention of the Veil, or how to get a person out of it."

"I read it in a book." Anika answered flatly.

"Which one?"

"A book… at Durmstrang." If anything could have given Hermione a clue as to what the book was about, it should have been that. But Hermione continued frowning in confusion.

"Well, it's a book, whose author was from Bulgaria. Maybe it wasn't published in England." Said Anika, sounding innocent. She hoped Hermione would believe it.

Hermione nodded, "Oh. You're probably right. But I still want to know what you plan to do…"

"I can't tell you that. At least, not now. Someone could overhear and tell Voldemort, and I really need to talk to Harry first anyway. We don't want to risk the Death Eaters finding out until we're sure we can kill them all –"

Hermione looked startled, "What do you mean?"

"Err, I mean, until we're sure they'll be out of our way. We don't want to get… attacked, or anything." Anika recovered as best she could, putting on a fake, reassuring smile.

Hermione nodded again. "You and Harry spend a lot of time together." She changed the subject, "Is there something… going on?"

"Of course not!" exclaimed Anika, embarrassed, "Why in the world would you think _that?!"_

"Well, you've been spending all of your time in the Room of Requirement together, and neither of you will tell Ron or I what you're doing. And Cho Chang's been saying..."

An angry look crossed Anika's face at the mention of her new rival, "What did she say?" she demanded.

Hermione looked cornered, "Err, she said… She said that you and Harry are dating, in secret. And that you have a fiancé back in Bulgaria and you're cheating on him…"

"_What?!!?"_ Anika screamed, "I don't _have_ a fiancé! I'm not even dating! I'll kill that horrible liar–"

"That's all I've heard." Hermione tried to calm her down; "She's been spreading rumors all week, but that's all. She didn't say anything else."

Angrily, Anika checked her watch, "Ah, I'm going to be late to Quidditch practice, and Roger's going to have my head…" she took off at a run down the corridor, not even glancing back at Hermione.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

She made it to the Quidditch pitch only one minute late. The other team members were standing on the field, holding their brooms and looking impatient.

"Where have you been?" demanded Cho the moment Anika was within hearing range, "You're late!"

"I was sidetracked. I would have been here on time, but the door of the stadium was locked, for some reason." Said Anika, glaring at her.

"Cho," began one of the other players, "You were the last one inside…"

Cho ignored him. "We need dedicated players who are willing to get to practice on time, every time. There is no reason to even be on the team if you can't put your gossip club on hold—"

"Cho!" interrupted Roger with a scowl, "Last practice, _you_ were _ten_ minutes late. Leave her alone."

Cho merely crossed her arms and shot a furious glance at Anika, who sneered in reply.

"All right, everyone into the air!" ordered Rodger, and they all mounted their brooms, rising into the air. "Keeper, to the hoops. Chasers, start passing that Quaffle. Beaters, the Bludger's are already loose, so is the Snitch. Get after them!"

Anika grinned, zooming around the Pitch in search of a Bludger to hit. It didn't take her long to track one down as it flew toward one of the Chasers; they were moving so quickly that she couldn't see who it was.

She slammed her Bat into it before it could reach its target, and it went spinning off to the other end of the Pitch.

Cho chased the Snitch down the field. It was headed in the general direction of Anika, who hadn't yet noticed Cho coming from behind. With a smirk, Cho took her broom down just a bit and leaned to the side.

As she passed by, she made a fist and slammed in into Anika's back as hard as she possibly could.

Startled, Anika flew forward off her broom with a noise of surprise. She sped to the ground and hit it, back first, with a thump in the center of the Pitch. Her team members, most of them wide-eyed with shock, flew down and landed their brooms beside her.

"Are you alright?" asked one of the Chaser's, as the Keeper pulled her to feet.

"Fine." gasped Anika. She went to take a deep breath, but pain shot through her and she stopped.

Roger rounded furiously on Cho, who took a surprised step backwards. She really hadn't expected the rest of the team to have seen her little attack.

"How _could_ you **_attack_** a member of _**your own team**!"_ he shouted, so loudly that the whole team jumped.

"I- I –" Cho stuttered, unsure of what to say.

"Do you **_want_** us to loose our first game of the year!?!" Roger continued, his anger not lessened by her fright.

"Well, no…" said Cho. Then her own anger returned, "But she doesn't _deserve_ to be on this team!" she shouted, pointing at Anika with a slightly shaking finger.

"She has as much right to be here as the rest of us! Except _you._ If you keep this up, you're not going to _have_ a place on this team!" Roger replied.

"You can't kick me off the team!" screamed Cho, her whole body shaking with fury now.

"I'm not," said Roger, "At least, not _yet."_

He turned to Anika, suddenly seeming calm, "You need to go to the Hospital Wing." He said.

"No, I don't. I'm fine." Anika said, trying to hide the fact that she was still hurting. She had to take shallow breaths, and when she breathed too deeply it hurt terribly. But there was no way she would go to the Hospital Wing. Not now. Not ever.

A/N: Hope you don't mind Cho's attitude. Anika needed an enemy, and she seemed perfect for the job.

**Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry for going so long without updating… Neither of us really had any time to type.

And now on with the chapter.

Roger frowned at Anika. "You _have_ to go to the Hospital Wing. If you don't, _I'll_ be the one who gets in trouble."

"Why would you get in trouble?" asked Anika, looking completely confused.

"Because I'm the captain. I'm supposed to take care of my team."

"Oh." Anika nodded. She thought for several moments, before sighing, "Fine. I'll go to the bloody Hospital."

She turned and took a few determined steps toward the doors of the stadium, before pausing. She looked over her shoulder at them.

"Anybody know where the Hospital Wing _is?"_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Madame Pomfrey gave the Ravenclaw team (aside from Cho, who had gone off to pout) a stern, disapproving frown as they walked through the doors of her Hospital Wing. Trust the Founders to put the Hospital on the fifth floor.

"What happened this time?" the Nurse demanded.

"Well… Anika had a sort of… fall." said Rodger rather awkwardly, glancing at Anika as though to make sure she hadn't yet made a run for it.

Madame Pomfrey turned to Anika as well. "And just how did that happen?" she asked.

"I kind of… lost my balance and fell." she lied, not meeting the Nurse's eyes.

"_You_ just fell off your broom for no reason? For some reason, I doubt that, Miss Krum. I could always check with your brother, but I doubt that would do much other than make him angry."

"Well why can't I have off days like everyone else?" Anika asked, frowning in disbelief. "Just because my brother's excellent at Quidditch…"

"And we all know you can play Quidditch just as well as him." Pointed out one of the Chasers.

Anika scowled at him. He flinched and quickly looked away.

"I just got… hit," she said lamely.

"By our Seeker." muttered the Chaser. Anika's eyes narrowed dangerously at him.

"Let me see where you're hurt," said Madame Pomfrey, changing the subject before the argument could continue to outright violence.

"It's not that bad, it's only a small bruise."

Madame Pomfrey forced the rest of the team out of the Wing, ignoring their protests and closing the doors behind them with a thud.

"Alright, let's see how badly she hit you." said Madame Pomfrey.

Anika untied the back of her dress and revealed a huge purple, black, and blue bruise in the center of her back. Madame Pomfrey gasped in surprise at the size of it.

"Is it bad?" asked Anika calmly, trying to look over her shoulder at her back to inspect the damage.

"Yes." replied the nurse, walking across the room to grab several potions. "If I were your parents, you would _not_ be playing such dangerous sports. With boys, no less." She paused for a moment, before adding. "I'm going to have to call your brother up. This looks serious."

Anika's eyes widened in alarm. "Please don't," she said quickly. "He gets very protective… I don't want to cause him any trouble."

"Well, either way, whether your brother comes or not, I'm sorry to say," Madame Pomfrey looked more pleased than sorry. "That you won't be able to play any Quidditch what-so-ever for at least two weeks."

Still looking rather smug, she walked toward the fireplace and grabbed a small pot of glittering green powder that Anika instantly recognized. She held back a groan of irritation as the school Nurse threw it into the fire and called out for Viktor's office.

The Defense Professor's face appeared in the flames moments later.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Madame Pomfrey frowned disapprovingly. "Your sister had accident during Quidditch practice." she said.

Viktor frowned, too. "What's she done this time?"

"I think you should come see for yourself." said Madame Pomfrey in a rather clipped tone.

"I'll be there in a few moments."

Anika wanted to bang her head on the wall.

- - - - - - - - -

"But Madame Pomfrey, our first match is in three weeks!" Anika exclaimed. "I have to practice!"

"Well, then, you'll just have to sit out."

"But I—"

She paused mid-sentence as the doors swung open and Viktor walked in, wearing a disapproving expression startlingly similar to Madame Pomfrey's.

"What happened now?" he asked, looking his sister up and down.

" I got in a one person fight." replied Anika flatly, frowning up at him.

"So who'd you hit?" questioned Viktor curiously.

"I said 'one person fight,' and _I'm _the one in the Hospital Wing, so how could I have hit anyone?" Anika asked, feeling the urge to roll her eyes.

Viktor shrugged. "You could have hit yourself…"

Madame Pomfrey interrupted before the argument could go any further. "As I told Miss Krum," she said to Viktor. "She is not allowed to participate in Quidditch practices for at least two weeks."

"But that's like telling Voldemort he can't kill people!" Anika protested.

Madame Pomfrey gave a horrified gasp of shock, one of her hands covering her mouth as she stared, bug-eyed, at Anika. Viktor's hand flew out and backhanded his sister across the face.

"Watch your tongue, Anika Sophaphia Krum!"

Anika glared at her brother, while Madame Pomfrey turned and began grabbing Potions and handing them to the fifth year. "Take one of these every day for a week," she said. "Then come back in and let me see if they've been helping you."

Anika nodded, then sent one last death glare at her brother. She was so angry that she had started shaking.

As Anika walked out of the Hospital Wing, she moved her hair over the red handprint on her check and made her way down to the Great Hall for dinner.

When she got down to the Hall, Anika found the Ravenclaw team all sitting together at the end of the Table. She walked over to them nervously and stopped near Rodger. Anika was _not_ looking forward to informing them of Madame Pomfrey's Quidditch restriction.

She took in a deep breath, before beginning. "According to Madame Pomfrey, I'm not allowed to play Quidditch for two weeks," she confessed, "and my brother is going to watch me so that I don't sneak to the Pitch and practice."

"You can't play for _two_ weeks?!? Our first game is in three! How can you not be allowed to practice? She _knows_ we need you to play." Rogers stated.

"We don't need her to play! We are way better with out her, she slows us down." came Cho's voice as she came to sit down on Rodger's other side.

"You do know that I'm sitting right here, Cho Chang." said Anika coldly.

Apparently she didn't. "They let you out of the hospital wing?"

"Yes, they did." Anika replied. She seemed calm, but her eyes were narrowed, and under the table her hands were still shaking with pure fury at Viktor.

A clap of thunder ring through the corridors, so loud that it caused the entire castle to shake. Everyone in the Hall jumped.

More thunder followed, along with violent flashes of lightening. Rain pounded on the windows and was already beginning to flood the grounds outside.

Up in the Staff Table, Viktor's eyes immediately flew to Anika. He had an odd feeling that she had something to do with the sudden storm. She glanced up from her plate, apparently feeling his eyes on her, and sent him a look. If glares could kill, he'd be six feet under.

Anika rolled her eyes and looked back down at her plate, only to look up again when Dumbledore stood up.

"I have a very important announcement."

The Hall fell silent.

"I would like you all to keep in mind that this is open only to those in their seventh year." The Headmaster started. "We are going to be participating in a three-month exchange program with our fellow schools, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang."

He now had the seventh year's full attention.

"One girl and one boy will be chosen from each House. The girls will be going to Beauxbatons and the boys are going to Drumstrang. To enter, you must write your name and House on a slip of paper, and place it in the Sorting Hat. The winners will be announced tomorrow night at dinner. The Hat will be placed in the Entrance Hall."

The students burst into chatter as Dumbledore sat down again.

Anika had been momentarily distracted from her boiling anger, but it returned full force when she saw Viktor glance at her again. Her fists clenched and she ground her teeth.

At the moment, she _hated_ him.

And even though most of her fury was unnoticed, since everyone was busy talking and gossiping about the exchange program, and because it was almost impossible to see her shaking fists under the Table, someone _did_ notice.

Anika almost jumped out of her seat in alarm when she noticed a large ball of flames appear in her lap. Her mouth opened to release a shout, when she happened to glance across the Hall.

Harry was looking at her, seeming curious and concerned. He looked questioningly toward the ball of fire, though she knew that there was no way he could see it from there… unless—

_Unless he _sent _it, _finished her mind. But how in the world could he have done that?

_She_ was the one who had been using Elemental powers all her life, even if she hadn't known exactly what they were. So how did he learn something she didn't, in such a short time?

Perhaps it only worked using Fire.

The flames disappeared after a few moments, leaving a slightly charred piece of parchment in its place.

Eyeing it doubtfully, slightly fearing that it would burst into flames again, Anika picked it up and scanned it under the table.

_What's going on? Why do you have a mark on your face?_

But how to reply? She didn't have a quill or ink, and even if she did, Viktor would have noticed it and demanded to know who she was writing to at dinner. And what would she say?

I'm mad at Viktor because he hit me, for one thing, she thought. 

To her surprise, the words immediately appeared on the parchment. Anika stared at it for several moments, dumbfounded. How had Harry discovered something as amazing as this? Clearly, it would be incredibly useful in almost any situation…

But that wasn't the point at the moment. She would interrogate him later. For now she just had to reply.

_I'm angry with Viktor, because he hit me for saying that keeping me from Quidditch is like keeping Voldemort from killing people. I'll tell you more later. In the Room of Requirement? _

The words she had 'written' before disappeared, replaced by her new message.

Now, how to send it?

Harry had used Fire. But Fire was far from her best Element. She could barely control any Wind at all, and Fire was even worse.

She closed her eyes and frowned in concentration, focusing as hard as she could on using her own rather weak Firepowers to send the letter back to Harry.

But I really, really need to send this to Harry… 

The parchment burst into bright orange-red fire again, and Anika held in a surprised gasp. She supposed 'send this to Harry' had somehow set it off, but how that had happened she had no idea.

The parchment disappeared, and Anika glanced across the Hall to make sure it had reached the right target.

Harry appeared to be reading her reply, keeping it under the table as she had done. Anika was watching him, waiting for him to send his own reply so that, this time, she wouldn't be caught so unaware.

But her attention was pulled away from her fellow Elemental by a very warm… very _burning _feeling spreading near her right ankle. Anika glanced down, and held back a curse when she saw that the hem of her dress had somehow managed to catch fire.

She supposed that her trying to use Fire to send the message back to Harry had backfired, setting her dress alight instead.

And the flames were spreading fast.

Anika batted at the fire with her hands, trying at the same time to use her Waterpowers to put it out. It didn't seem to have any effect what-so-ever. The fire began to catch on the rest of her skirt. Anika did the only other thing she could think of.

She shot out of her seat and screamed.

Every head in the Hall whipped around to stare at her in astonishment. Anika flapped her hands desperately at the flames, but it only caused the fire to spread farther.

In a momentary flash of calm, Anika glanced around, searching for something to put the fire out. She hadn't brought her wand with her to dinner, but now she wished she had. But if she didn't have her own, she would just have to 'borrow' someone else's.

Rodger was staring at her, mouth open. The handle of his wand stuck out of his robe pocket. Anika snatched it before he even realized what she was doing, and quickly pointed it at her skirt.

She shouted an incantation in Bulgarian, and what appeared to be a small, deep black cloud surrounded her leg. It smothered the fire, and within moments it had faded away.

But Dumbledore, up at the Staff Table, was watching her with a mixture of shock, suspicion, and anger. Using Dark Arts in the crowded Great Hall was dangerous; what if she had accidentally hit another student? He would have to have a talk with her…

Anika sat down with a relieved sigh, feeling unhappy to have the attention of every person in the Hall focused on her.

"Here's your wand, Rodger," she said, passing it back to the slightly stunned Quidditch captain.

Within moments, Madame Pomfrey had stood from the Head Table, rushed down the aisle between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables, and arrived at Anika's side. She looked alarmed, though she still wore the disapproving expression from earlier in the day.

"Are you injured? Oh, of course you are. How bad is it? Do you need a Pain Potion?" the Nurse demanded in one breath.

_For my headache_, Anika thought sourly. But for once in her life she didn't say it out loud.

"No, I'm fine," she said sweetly instead. She crossed her legs, trying to hide the bit she knew had been singed.

"Well at least let me take a look at it," said Madame Pomfrey. "You may need to spend a night in the Hospital Wing to make sure that it heals properly…"

"No, I'm fine," repeated Anika in annoyance. "It's just a little burn. I'll live. It's not like I haven't ever been burned before."

"Yes, but I still think I should look at it. Do you have any idea how it could have started?"

Anika paused. What was she supposed to say? 'Oh, yes, you see I'm an Elemental, and I accidentally caught myself on fire.' _That_ would go over well.

"I have no idea," she denied innocently. "Though, there are _some_ people who seem to have grudges against me." She glanced pointedly at a very confused Cho Chang.

By now, everyone in Hogwarts had heard about the incident during practice, and their eyes shot to the shocked seventh year. Cho would clearly be blamed for trying to set fire to Anika, but Anika herself couldn't bring herself top care.

She shot a glare at Cho, before standing up, ignoring Madame Pomfrey, and walking out of the Hall.

A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short. The next one will be extra-long to make up for it, but we were more concerned with updating soon than making a long chapter.

PLEASE review. We really value your comments, even if they're just something as simple as 'update soon.' And who knows, if we get a few, we may update sooner than usual. So push the little button. I promise, it doesn't bite.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N- Sorry for the long wait I had to get my computer upgraded from a 2000 to a XP. We lost the chapter; we had half of it done. We made this chapter 300 words longer than usual to make up for the wait.**

- -

As Anika left the Great Hall, Hermione turned to Harry, an excited expression on her face.

"What was that spell, Harry? What did it do? Has she ever shown you anything like that before? Why was it black? Where did she learn it?" she asked, stopping to take a breath.

Ron looked completely lost, and it was clear that he hadn't understood more than a word of that. Harry stared at her blankly for a moment, before shaking his head.

"No, she's never showed me a spell like that before. I'm guessing she learned it at Durmstrang."

"I've never heard of it before. I'm going to the Library to look it up right now!" she exclaimed, before shooting out of her seat and racing out of the Hall.

Leaving Ron sitting at the table, Harry left to find Anika. He guessed that she would head to the Room of Requirement. There weren't that many other places in Hogwarts that she knew of to go to, so it was the most likely place.

It didn't take long to get up to the seventh floor using the secret passages, and when he entered the Room he saw that he had been right. Anika was shooting a jet of water at a target, cursing loudly in what he guessed was Bulgarian.

She continued like this for several moments, before she turned slightly and noticed him. Her face turned slightly red.

"Hello, Harry," she said. "Uh, how long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough." he replied, looking at her in amusement.

"Don't tell Viktor what I was saying, please," she said. "He doesn't like it when I curse."

"I couldn't understand any of it." said Harry. "You were speaking Bulgarian."

Anika nodded.

"Oh, and Hermione is fascinated by the spell you used to put that fire out. She's gone straight up to the Library to try and find it." he added.

Anika looked caught between smirking and wincing. "I don't think she'll be able to find it… at least, I hope not. It's a Dark spell."

"You use Dark magic?" Harry asked, surprised.

"I went to Durmstrang. Everyone there uses Dark magic," Anika reminded him.

Harry considered that for a moment, and then nodded. "Alright. Dumbledore will be mad if he finds out, though."

"I know." said Anika. "Which is exactly why I haven't told anybody. You all automatically think that every spell made by a Dark wizard is evil, when I know some really good healing spells that were invented by Dark wizards and used to heal their armies. Now tell me if _that's_ Dark."

Harry frowned. "I guess it's not. But try telling that to Ron or Hermione. They'd never listen; they would probably say you were trying to corrupt me or something."

"This is why I miss Durmstrang," muttered Anika. "There was never anybody going around accusing people of being Death Eaters just because they used a Dark spell."

"But most of them _were_ Death Eaters, weren't they?" asked Harry.

"Only about one fourth or so," said Anika, uncaring.

"But that's about twenty-five out of a hundred."

"So what?"

Harry shook his head, not wanting to waste time arguing about something like this. "So what were you talking about at dinner?" he asked. "Something about Viktor… slapping you?"

"Oh, that," Anika said, looking slightly uncomfortable. "I messed up. It was just a door, with a big hand on it. It hit me when I tried to walk through it. They really shouldn't have things like that in a school, you know."

"And it just _happened_ to be the exact same size as your brother's hand." Harry agreed sarcastically. "Did you honestly expect me to believe that?"

"Yes," Anika replied. "It's the truth."

"What did you do to make him mad?"

"Nothing! I just said… that keeping me from Quidditch was like keeping Voldemort from killing people. Madame Pomfrey acted like I had just said the worst curse word in the entire world." Anika sighed. "Then Viktor slapped me."

"Well… I suppose you shouldn't have said his name. No one does. I say it, but I'm going to kill him."

"Why are you going to kill him?" asked Anika, looking confused.

"Well, there is this prophecy that says I'm the only one who can kill him, because he marked me with this lighting bolt when he tried to kill me as a baby." Harry explained.

Anika nodded. "That makes sense, in a twisted kind of way."

They remained silent for several moments.

"While we're here, we might as well get some practice in," Harry finally said.

Anika nodded.

They had been practicing for almost half an hour, before the silence was broken by a shout.

"_Dammit!_ Son of a bitch!"

Anika whirled around to stare wide eyed at Harry, who was scowling angrily.

"What?" she asked, thinking that he had been shouting at her. "What did I do?"

Harry shook his head. "Not you." he said, holding up a hand. "I burned myself."

"Oh," said Anika with relief. "I thought you were talking to me, or getting attacked by someone."

"Why would you care if I was getting attacked?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Because I like you. Why would I want anything to happen to you?"

Anika blinked, realizing what she had just said with growing horror.

Harry was staring at her. "You like me? As in… 'friend' or…'more'?"

"Well… uh, I think I like you as more than a friend. I _don't_ like some boy back home like everyone else says." Anika said. Then, she blinked and added. "Why am I telling you this?"

"I have no idea." replied Harry.

"I… I think Victor needed to talk to me, so… I have to leave." Anika said, as she turned to walk to the door.

Harry quickly grabbed her arm to stop her. "Anika, don't leave. I'm glad you told me because I like you as more then a friend, too, I think. We could… we could try to be more then friends, if you want, and just see how it goes… And try not to get killed by your brother."

Harry carefully turned her around so he could see her face. Upon seeing the tears that ran down her face, he pulled her in to his arms.

"Anika, why are you crying?" Harry asked, looking down at her.

"Because I thought that I just made our friendship go out the window." Anika said, pulling away.

Harry shook his head. "There's a trip to Hogsmeade coming up this weekend, you know. If you want, we could go."

Anika nodded. "Alright. That sounds fun. Hogsmeade _is_ the village, right?"

"Yes. It's the village outside the gate."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next morning, Harry waited in the Entrance Hall for Anika to come down. She'd gone upstairs after breakfast to get a coat, since they had heard that it would be cold that day.

Finally, she came back down and they glanced around the crowded Hall. There was a very long line of students waiting at the doors for Filch to let them go.

"I wonder what's taking so long," said Anika.

"It wasn't like this last year, or the year before." Harry replied.

It took them almost half an hour before their names were finally called. When they headed toward the doors, they found their way blocked by Filch, who held a long metal rod in his hand. He began to jab them with it rather violently.

"Ouch!" protested Anika. "What are you doing?"

"Checking you for Dark objects. Now hold still." ordered Filch, glaring at them.

Anika scowled. "You're using that Dark Detector wrong," she lectured. "You're supposed to pass it _over_ people, not _stab _them with it!"

"How would you know, Miss Krum?" asked Professor McGonagall, appearing behind them.

"We learned about it in class at Durmstrang," she replied.

"Alright. You may go." said McGonagall, much to the annoyance of Filch.

As they left the castle doors and began making their way toward the gates, Ron quickly caught up with them. He was scowling angrily.

"He got you, too?" Harry asked.

Ron nodded. "That stupid squib," he muttered. "And that dumb Detector thing… I blame you, ASK."

Anika blinked. "ASK?" she repeated.

"Your initials," Ron explained. "They spell ASK."

"How do you know that?" asked Anika, looking slightly disturbed.

Ron shrugged. "It's in magazines. They have all kinds of information about you."

"Okay…" said Anika, "Do you know my _name_, or just the initial?"

"Just the initial." said Ron, before spotting Hermione in the crowd and heading back to talk to her.

Harry looked at Anika curiously. "I never knew that. Actually, I don't even know what your middle name is."

Anika blushed slightly.

"It's not all that important." she said, hardly noticing that Ron had gone. "I don't know _your_ full name either."

"Harry James Potter." Harry said. "There. You know mine. Now tell me yours."

Anika frowned. She hadn't expected him to answer so easily. "I'm not sure if I like my name. It's Anika Sophaphia Krum."

"It suits you." said Harry after a moment.

- - - - - - - - - - -- - - - -

A little while later, Harry and Anika were walking down the streets of the village. Harry was explaining a little about Hogsmeade and showing her the sights, while they also switched onto conversations about other things.

They had been walking past the Three Broomsticks, laughing, when Ron caught sight of them.

"Hey, Harry," he called.

Hermione, standing a bit behind Ron, noticed that Harry rolled his eyes at their redheaded friend, and Anika looked a bit sad.

_Wait…. If Harry is walking with Anika, by themselves… Usually he only rolls his eyes when he's annoyed or really doesn't want to be bothered… Could that mean that he'd rather be with Anika? Could they be… dating? _Hermione questioned in her head. She broke from her thoughts as Ginny walked up.

"What are you thinking of?" Ginny looked at Hermione closely. She knew when Hermione had 'that' look on her face.

"Well… Harry looked mad that Ron took him away from Anika, and they came to Hogsmeade together. It looked like they were on a date or something similar. Maybe they aren't just friends anymore." Hermione stated, glancing across the street at Anika thoughtfully.

"Well, they are dating. For about three days now." Ginny said without really thinking.

"How do you know that?" Hermione looked at Ginny in surprise.

"Anika told me the day after they got together. I'm her only friend here, other than Harry." said Ginny, feeling slightly sad on Anika's behalf.

"Harry never told me or Ron that he and Anika were dating, and we're his best friends! …well, other than Anika." Hermione looked a bit depressed as well, at that thought.

"They didn't want everyone to find out about them. Do you know what her brother would do to Harry?" Ginny said, shaking her head.

Unnoticed by either of them, Anika started to walk over to Hermione and Ginny and saw that they were talking quietly. From the looks on their faces, she guessed that they must be talking about her and Harry.

"Were you two talking about ….well, me and Harry?" Anika questioned, looking at Ginny with suspicion.

"Yes, Hermione kind of put it together on her own." Ginny stated defensively.

"Just don't tell anyone about it; we don't want the newspaper to get hold of the 'story' and twist it around." Anika said quietly.

As Hermione and Ginny both nodded in agreement, Harry and Ron crossed the street and walked over to the girls.

"Are you ready to head back to Hogwarts, Anika?" Harry asked.

"Why not? It's almost time for dinner. Let's go." Anika agreed, as she turned to start to walk back to school.

"Hmm… Anika, the school is this way." Harry said, looking at her as a smile played across his face.

"Right. I know that." Anika said, turning and following Harry back to school.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As dinner was ending later that night, Dumbledore stood from his chair and quickly got the students attention. The Hall fell silent.

"The students who will be in the exchange are now to be announced." Dumbledore paused, the continued.

"From Slytherin: Adrian Pucey and Emma Vaisey. From Ravenclaw: Cho Chang and Eddie Carmichael. From Hufflepuff: Sky Summeby and Nick Cadwallade, and from Gryffindor: Angelina Johnson and Cormac Mclaggen. You will have three days until you leave."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - -

On Monday morning during breakfast, the usual dozens of different owls flew into the Hall, carrying mail and newspapers to the students and teachers.

On the front page of the _Daily Prophet _was a story which went into great detail about how Harry Potter and Anika Krum were now dating, and also said that Anika had a fiancée back in Bulgaria, whom she was cheating on.

"_What?_ I don't have a fiancée back home," Anika said to herself in slight astonishment, staring rather numbly at the paper in her hands.

AS though that were some sort of cue, an owl flew down in front of her and dropped a letter onto the table in front of Anika. Frowning, she opened it, and started to read.

_Dearest daughter Anika,_

_We are proud and pleased to inform you that we managed, after careful thought and consideration, to find you a perfect fiancée. He is about four years older then you; is handsome, kind, caring and supportive and maybe able to control your difficult personality. His name is Christof Wilder. You may know him from your time at Durmstang._

_Your loving parents,_

_Mrs. and Mr. Krum._

Anika's eyes just starred at the paper blankly for several moments, her mind frozen in shock, before she suddenly stood up from the table and walked up to the Staff Table. She stood in front of Viktor, simply glaring at him.

"Anika." Viktor said shortly, not entirely sure of why she was glaring.

"Victor." Anika said coldly.

"What is wrong?" questioned Viktor, noticing how angry she was.

"Not like you don't already know. Mum and dad have found, and plan on me marrying someone. I know you had a say in it."

"No, I didn't." he denied, surprised. "I had no idea. They did not tell me. How do _you_ know about it?"

"Because of this." Anika said, as she handed Viktor the letter. As he read, Anika continued to talk. "There are other guys I would rather marry than him. You don't know what he put me through last year in Quidditch practice and around school in general. If you just _knew_." Anika scowled and trailed off furiously.

"Well, just tell me, then." said Viktor, still frowning down at the letter.

"You know all of the times I got hurt at practice? It was almost always because of him. How do you get out of an arranged marriage?"

"You could die before the wedding, run away and never come back, run off and get married to someone else, or get him to call off the wedding." supplied Viktor.

"You do know that you just _told_ me all that." said Anika in shock, staring at her brother in surprise.

"Yes you would have found it out anyways, by Harry or someone else." said Viktor, waving it off.

Anika blinked at him for a few more moments, before nodding, turning and walking out of the Hall, Harry following shortly after.

When they had gone a fair distance down the corridor, he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into a nearby empty classroom, closing the door.

"What are you doing?" asked Anika, surprised.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" Harry asked.

"Well for your information, I've just been informed of the fact that I'm set to be _married off_ to a person that I absolutely _hate_." she said viciously, pulling her arm out of his grasp.

"Well then maybe we should just be friends. This obviously isn't going to work out."

Anika froze. Her eyes went wide, and her mouth dropped open in complete shock.

"How could you… _Harry James Potter,_ I can't believe this! You're just like some of the boys at Durmstrang, dating someone just to prove that you can!" she shouted, turning and walking furiously toward the door. Then, she paused.

"I gain a fiancée that I hate, and loose a boyfriend who I like, in one morning," she said, shaking her head in disgust.

Harry grabbed her wrist again before she had a chance to open the door. Using his free hand, he cast a Silencing Charm on the room.

"Anika Sophaphia Krum, listen to me. I've got a good reason for what I just did, but you have to let me explain." he said.

Anika glared at him, pulling her hand away. "You've got five minutes, Potter," she said, crossing her arms.

Harry nodded. "I cast a Silencing Charm because standing outside right now is one of Rita Skeeter's informants," he explained quickly. "They're students who she pays to get her the latest gossip from Hogwarts. That's probably how she found out we were dating, actually."

Anika blinked, frowning a bit. "So… what you did was just for show? You don't really want to break up?"

"Of course I don't," Harry answered. "But it's probably better if everyone thinks we're not together, right?"

"Are we really broken up, or not?" she asked carefully.

Harry frowned. "I don't know. If you _want_ to break up…" he trailed off, not looking very happy at the idea.

"I don't _want_ to, but… You know it will be kind of hard to trust you after what you just pulled?" Anika pointed out.

Harry stepped forward and pulled her into a hug, her head on his chest. "I'm sorry," he said honestly. "But you know I had to do it."

Anika nodded slightly. "I know. At least this might get that Mosquito reporter off of our case for a bit."

Harry looked down at her. "Mosquito?" he asked, amused.

"My name for Skeeter. She _is_ a bit of a pest." explained Anika.

Their sweet moment lasted a few seconds longer, before being rudely broken by the blasting ring of the bell. Harry and Anika broke apart in surprise.

Then Anika cursed. "I'm late for Viktor's class." she said.

"And I'm late for Transfiguration." said Harry.

They looked at each other for a moment.

"Run!" they said together, before rushing out of the classroom.

- - -

**A/N: The reason this chapter is so late (aside from the computer being updated) is because final exams are next week. We'll have time to write more after May 24****th****, when school ends. **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Review, please, people. We have lots of hits but almost no reviews, and we would like to know what you think of the story. **

- - -

Anika rushed down the corridor toward the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. She was the last student to arrive, but the door was still open, and she quickly skidded to a stop. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, she slipped into the room as quietly as possible, taking her seat at the back of the class.

Viktor's back was turned, and he was busily writing on the blackboard. Anika breathed a sigh of relief, pulling out her Defense textbook.

"So nice of you to finally join us, Miss Krum." said Viktor, not even pausing or turning around. "Five points from Ravenclaw."

Anika stared at him. _How in the world did he know I came in? _she wondered. _He has eyes in the back of his head. _

Then, they began yet another review of a spell Anika had already memorized. She sighed. It seemed all they ever did at Hogwarts was go over things that they had already learned. She wished they could learn something new for a change.

- - -

At about the same time, Harry hurried down the hall to the Transfiguration classroom. Considering the fact that it was on the other side of the school from the empty room he had been in with Anika, he was quite late to class.

"You're late, Mr. Potter," said McGonagall disapprovingly as he opened the door.

"Sorry, Professor."

"Take your seat. Five points from Gryffindor." said McGonagall, before returning to the lesson.

Harry headed to the empty seat that Ron and Hermione had saved for him, getting out the Transfiguration textbook and some parchment. He paused when Hermione very uncharacteristically passed him a note.

_Where were you? _said Hermione's neat handwriting.

Harry frowned and glanced up at her, but Hermione was absorbed in taking notes on McGonagall's lesson.

_I was talking, with Anika._ he answered, waiting until McGonagall had turned away to place it on Hermione's desk. Both Ron and Hermione glanced at it.

Hermione raised her eyebrows and gave him a very disbelieving look. Ron simply looked confused.

Harry grabbed a small scrap of parchment. _Seriously. Just talking._

Hermione smirked slightly upon reading that, but before she could reply, McGonagall's voice cut in.

"Are you taking notes on the class, Mr. Potter?" she asked sternly.

"Of course, Professor." answered Harry, looking very honest.

"What part of today's lesson was I just explaining?" asked McGonagall, still frowning.

Harry paused, thinking. Thankfully, Hermione came to the rescue.

"You were telling us the advantages and disadvantages of the Advanced Vanishing spell when it is used on human beings," she supplied. "It's considered highly dangerous and worthy of up to ten years in Azkaban."

McGonagall glanced at Hermione, then back at Harry.

"Very good, Miss Granger." said the Professor finally. "But I suggest you put your social life on hold during class, Mr. Potter."

"Yes, Professor." Harry replied.

- - -

Later that day during free period, they both went to the Room of Requirement for a bit of Elemental practice.

Anika had a slight grin on her face as she walked through the door.

"You look cheerful for someone who just found out they're marrying someone they hate," Harry remarked.

Anika shook her head. "I'm not happy about that." she said. "Don't you know what today is?"

Harry blinked. "What?"

"Today's the last day of my two-week Quidditch ban!" exclaimed Anika as though it were obvious. "Of course, I'm still not pleased with that Pomfrey woman… But our match against Hufflepuff is this weekend. I got off just in time."

"That's good." agreed Harry.

Anika grinned, and then slowly frowned. "Uh, you do realize that eventually we're going to play against each other, right? Will you be angry if I beat the stuffing out of you?"

Harry shrugged. "You're a Beater, I'm a Seeker. That's the way it is. Of course, if you do actually manage to hit me, you might pay for it later."

Anika nodded, smirking slightly. "All right. That sounds fair to me. But to play against Gryffindor, Ravenclaw has to beat Hufflepuff…"

"You will," said Harry. "The Hufflepuff team aren't very good, to be honest. They rarely ever win a match."

- - -

At the Ravenclaw Quidditch practice that night, Cho was not there. She was up in her dormitory, busy packing and preparing to leave the next day.

"Anika, you're going to stay as Beater, even though you're the backup Seeker. That's our best bet to win. In the match on Saturday, take out their Keeper, then the Chasers. You and our other Beater both do your best to _take them out of the game_." coached Rodger.

The rest of the team nodded, agreeing with their Captain. They spent a few more minutes going over various strategies, before getting out onto the Pitch and taking off.

They spent two hours practicing, getting ready for their upcoming match. When they finally landed back on the ground, the team were all fairly tired, but convinced that they had a good chance against the Hufflepuff's.

"We will be having another practice on Friday after dinner, see you there." Rodger said as the team was leaving the Pitch.

Harry met Anika at the doors. "How was practice?" he asked.

"Hard." Anika answered. "I have another practice on Friday. Do you want to come and watch it?" she questioned.

"That's against the rules. They would probably think I was trying to find a way to spy on your team." Harry stated, and a slightly disappointed look crossed Anika's face.

"It's not against the rules if you are just watching your girlfriend." Anika said quickly. "I have to go. I have homework, bye Harry."

"See you tomorrow." Harry said, heading back to the castle and walking in the direction of his Common Room.

- - - - -

The next night as dinner was finishing, Dumbledore again stood from his seat. The students immediately became silent.

"Now, as you all know, tonight eight of our students will be leaving for their exchange program. A seventh year girl and boy from each House will be leaving; the girls will be attending Beauxbatons and the boys will be at Durmstrang. They will return in exactly three months, which is when the students coming to Hogwarts will leave." he explained.

He paused, and then continued. "And now, the students who will be joining us for the next three months will be announced."

Every student in the Hall was watching him with interest now.

"From Beauxbatons: Lexi Wood." announced Dumbledore.

The doors of the Hall swung open on their own, and Lexi Wood entered. She appeared to be a typical Beauxbatons girl, pretty and blond, to put it simply. She stopped when she stood before the Staff Table, smiling at the Headmaster.

"You will be joining Gryffindor House, Miss Wood." said Dumbledore kindly. The Gryffindors cheered loudly, mostly the boys. Lexi nodded to Dumbledore, turned, and took a seat at the Gryffindor Table.

Dumbledore waited for the applause to die down a bit before continuing. "Katy Jones."

Again, the large doors opened, and the girl known as Katy Jones entered. She glanced around the Hall at all the staring eyes and blushed slightly, looking down at the floor. When she reached the Staff Table, she also stopped in front of Dumbledore.

"Miss Jones, you will be going to Hufflepuff House," Dumbledore said. The Hufflepuff's cheered, again mostly the boys, and she, too, took her seat.

"Sarah Meeks."

In what the students were coming to expect, the Hall's doors opened and Sarah walked in. Unlike her fellow Beauxbatons students so far, she had her nose held high in the air, and actually went as far as to curtsy when she reached a stop at Dumbledore's seat.

Dumbledore's smile didn't even slip, much to his credit.

"Miss Meeks, you will be in Slytherin House."

The Slytherins gave polite but loud claps as she crossed the room and sat down at their House table. Barely a moment later, Anika could see Malfoy speaking to her.

Glancing across the Hall and meeting Harry's eyes, Anika nodded her head toward Meeks, then pretended to gag. Harry grinned.

"And last but not least, Katherine Underwood."

Again, the doors opened completely on their own, most likely by wandless magic done by Dumbledore, and Katherine stepped in. She looked around the Hall with interest, taking in the Enchanted ceiling. When she reached the Table, she nodded respectfully to the Headmaster.

"You will be in Ravenclaw House, Miss Underwood." greeted Dumbledore. The Ravenclaws cheered, with Anika clapping politely when Viktor began to glare at her from the Staff Table for being rude.

"And now, our transfer students from Durmstrang," announced Dumbledore. "Domonik Seval."

Anika blinked. She knew someone named Domonik… he had been a friend of hers, actually.

The doors opened, and a very familiar tall, brown haired, brown eyed person entered the Great Hall, dressed in the even more familiar red-and-black uniform of a Durmstrang student. Domonik took in the staring faces at a glance, before crossing the room and nodding to Dumbledore. He appeared slightly surprised upon catching sight of Viktor, but not very much so.

Dumbledore smiled kindly, again. "Mr. Seval, you will be in Ravenclaw House."

The Ravenclaws cheered again, though this time the girls were the loudest. Anika kept her head down and avoided his eyes in the hope that he wouldn't notice her, clapping carefully as he took his seat.

Anika was sure she saw Dumbledore glance at her while waiting for the Hall to quiet again.

"Nicholas Stalle."

The doors opened again. Nicholas entered. He was tall, too, with blond hair and hazel eyes, also in a Durmstrang uniform.

He stopped before Dumbledore nodded his head, and blinked at Viktor in surprise, before his eyes turned toward the students, obviously looking for Anika. She gave a small, weak wave as he saw her, not able to duck down in time and cursing her strawberry blond hair.

"You will be joining Hufflepuff House, Mr. Stalle." Dumbledore said. Nicholas nodded again and, amid applause from the Hufflepuffs, took a seat at their table.

"Ivan Wadel."

Anika stared, startled, as yet another person she knew entered the room. Blond haired, blue eyed, tall, and again wearing the Durmstrang uniform, Ivan paused in the doorway, before walking calmly up to Dumbledore. Anika saw him look at Viktor, and glance toward the large amount of staring students in the hope of spotting her.

"Mr. Wadel," Dumbledore greeted. "You will be in Gryffindor House."

The Gryffindors cheered and Ivan, still looking around at the students in search of Anika, made his way to their table.

Just as he was sitting down, he caught sight of her. Anika smiled, again rather weakly, and looked away.

"And finally, our last student," said Dumbledore, "Christof Wilder."

Anika's jaw dropped in horror, the glass she had been about to take a sip from falling out of her hand. Eyes wide, she watched as the doors opened, revealing the one person she _really_ hadn't wanted to see.

Without even thinking, Rodger, who was sitting next to her, reached out with one hand and caught the falling goblet before it could hit the floor. But across the Hall, Harry had seen her reaction, and shot Anika a confused look.

Still numb with shock, Anika mouthed "_my fiancée" _and Harry also looked surprised.

Christof was also tall, and had dark red hair and blue eyes. He walked up to the staff table, staring rather blankly up at Dumbledore.

"Mr. Wilder, you will be in Slytherin House." Dumbledore said, as all the students started to talk, and gossip, about the new exchange students.

Across the Hall, Ivan was trying to get Domonik's attention. When after several minutes he finally got it, he pointed to Anika. Domonik frowned slightly, and looked for what Ivan was pointing at. He searched for a few moments, and then he found it. _Anika is here? _he wondered.

- - -

Further down the Ravenclaw table, Anika was glaring furiously at the back of Christof's head.

"Are you ready for the match this weekend?" asked Rodger, snapping her out of her murderous thoughts.

Anika blinked and looked at him. "Oh… yes. We'll crush them."

"Hey!" protested a voice behind them at the Hufflepuff table. Anika and Rodger turned in their seats to look at the person who had spoken.

"Have you not seen me play?" Anika asked flatly.

"This is your first match of the season," pointed out one of the Hufflepuff Chasers with a slight sneer. "How could we have seen you play?"

"Then have you not heard the _rumors?"_ Anika questioned.

"We don't listen to rumors, _Ravenclaw."_ spat the Seeker in a very uncharacteristic display of temper.

"Then I'll see you on the Pitch, _Hufflefluff." _replied Anika in a matching tone.

"It's Huffle_puff_." corrected the Chaser with a glare.

Anika raised an eyebrow. "What's the difference between puff and fluff? It works either way."

"Just shut your mouth, Ravenclaw." said the Seeker, shaking his head at her.

"Fine. I'll see you on the Pitch Saturday." Anika said dismissively, turning her back to them without care.

"What was that for?" asked Rodger in confusion.

Anika grinned. "It's a little trick we pull at Durmstrang right before matches. Get inside the enemies heads."

Rodger blinked. "Oh."

The feast was ending, and a few students had stood up to leave. Domonik had left his seat and walked over to them just as Anika stood up.

"What trick do we use at Durmstrang?" he asked, having heard the last bit of the conversation.

"Intimidation." Anika replied.

Domonik nodded. "Ah. Almost always works."

Rodger still looked confused, and wandered off.

"So," began Anika as they left the Hall. "Have you heard the… news?"

"You mean about you being engaged to Christof?" Domonik replied. "It's been all over Durmstrang and back again. He's been bragging constantly."

"What's been all over Durmstrang?" asked Ivan, appearing next to them out of the crowd.

"The news of my engagement." Anika replied unhappily.

Ivan nodded. "I heard about that. Christof won't keep his mouth shut about it, actually."

"Oh, wonderful," said Anika sarcastically. "Now I'm property?"

"To him? Yes." said Domonik.

Anika frowned. "What about to you? Do _you_ think I'm property?"

Domonik blinked uncomfortably. "No." he said, looking at her uncertainly.

Anika smiled. "Good."

"Anika… who are you dating?" Ivan questioned, finally entering the conversation.

"Why would I be dating when it is _so_ improper for anyone to do that when you're engaged?" asked Anika with a 'how-dare-you-think-I-would-do-such-a-thing' look on her face.

"Anika, that, my friend, is not the truth." said Ivan, clearly not believing a word she had said. He knew her too well to fall for it, as did Domonik.

"Hmm… could it be that guy in the Hall who seemed to be talking to someone at the Ravenclaw table? You know, the one with black hair." Domonik suggested, against Anika's silent wishes.

They both gave her curious half-smirks, and finally Anika sighed in defeat. "Fine. Yes, that's him, and yes, he already knows about _dearest _Christof. His name is Harry Potter." she paused, seeing that their smirks had widened. "Where, when, and _why_ did I ever become friends with you two?"

Ivan thought for a moment.

- - -

_Twelve year old Anika Krum, newly stationed as a Beater on the Quidditch team, was busy taking aim at a speeding Bludger. She swung her bat high and brought it down hard, sending the Bludger soaring off to the other end of the Pitch. _

_Unexpectedly, the second Bludger came at her from behind; hearing it whistle as it rocketed toward her, Anika turned and prepared to swing the bat again. _

_The bat's handle was wide, and her hands were small. As she was about to slam the Bludger, her grip on the bat slipped, sending the heavy piece of wood tumbling down toward the ground. Anika blinked, and then looked at the still-oncoming Bludger. Noticing that if it somehow missed her, it would be on a direct path toward her much-hated team Captain, Christof, she decided to help it on its way a bit. _

_Using her wandless magic, she nudged it to the side, so that it went around her, and then got back on track in time to head right at the Captain. Anika was not the type of person who would pass up a chance for a bit of revenge. _

_The bat slammed into Christof's stomach, hard. His breath was knocked out of him and he winced. Just as he picked up the bat, the Bludger came, and impacted even harder, on the very same spot. _

_Having a very good idea of whose bat it was, he glared up at Anika, who was hovering about twenty feet above him. _

_One of her hands flew up to cover her mouth. Christof thought she was horrified by what she had done; in reality, Anika was trying to smother her laughter. _

"_You'd better be frightened, girl!" he shouted. _

"_It was an accident." Anika choked out, managing to fight down her amusement. _

"_You little weasel!" Christof yelled. _

_Anika frowned. "I'm not a weasel." she said. _

"_Yes, you are. You're small and you're a Beater. You weaseled your way onto the team!" he exclaimed. _

"_I did not!" Anika protested, getting angry. "I tried out just like everyone else! _You're_ the one who allowed me to be on the team." _

"_Only because you were the best out of the ones who tried out!" retorted Christof. _

_Anika looked at him with satisfaction. "So I _was_ the best," she said. "Then I didn't weasel my way into anything, did I? You _chose_ to have me on the team." _

_Christof glared at her furiously, and changed the subject rather than replying. "Why did you throw that bat at me, Anika Krum? I ought to kick you off the team!"_

"_Well, did you ever stop to think that perhaps the bat handle is too big for me to hold on to?" Anika pointed out angrily. "It wasn't _my_ fault." _

"_Watch your tone Anika." said Christof warningly._

"_Why? If you hurt me, then you would have someone else come and hurt _you_." said Anika. "Haven't you ever thought of it that way?"_

_Christof continued to glare at her. He knew that it was true; Viktor would hunt him down if he ever did anything to Anika. But at the moment he was far too angry to care about that. _

_Christof flew higher into the air, until his broomstick was beside hers. Anika's eyes widened when he clenched a hand into a fist and prepared to swing at her face. She had honestly expected the threat of Viktor to work on him. Apparently she'd been very wrong. _

_As Christof's fist drew back, Ivan and Domonik, holding their brooms, walked out of the locker rooms. Upon catching sight of what was about to happen in the air, they both took off and flew towards Christof and Anika at top speed. _

_The locker rooms were behind Christof, so he didn't notice them coming until they had both reached out a hand and grabbed his fist, just as it flew at Anika. _

"_You have no right to hit her." Ivan said, glaring at Christof._

"_I'm her Quidditch Captain." he replied, jerking his fist out of their grips. _

"_Her brother would kill you." Domonik pointed out angrily. "He is a famous Quidditch player _and_ a Professor here at our school. Do you really want to cross him?"_

_Christof shot a furious look at all three of them, before turning and flying off at high speed, rather than reply. _

"_That was close." Ivan said as he looked at Anika._

"_You're right. I'm Anika Krum, by the way." Anika introduced herself. "Thanks." _

"_You're welcome. And we already know your name. I'm Domonik and this is Ivan." _

- - -

**A/N: Again, please review. We updated fairly quick this time, since this chapter was easy to write. **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This chapter should be pretty long, since we want to get through this part and move on with the story. We'll be starting the Pirates of the Caribbean crossover sooner than we thought. **

**- - -**

Once again, Anika and Harry both went to the Room of Requirement after dinner. Anika was furious.

"I can't believe he's here!" she shouted angrily. "That no-good sneaking son of a –"

"Why exactly do you hate him so much?" interrupted Harry.

Anika sighed heavily. "Well, let's see. He's three years older than me, and he _always _used that against me. He was my Quidditch captain, and he used to make me hold still while the other Beaters used me for target practice. Plus, he's an abusive bastard."

Harry gave her a slightly odd look at the language, but didn't comment.

- - -

The next night, the Gryffindor common room was full. Dinner had ended, and everyone was busying talking, laughing, and doing last-minute homework. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting in their usual chairs near the fire.

"So," began Ron. "I can't wait for the match this weekend. Ravenclaw against Hufflepuff… should be a good show."

"More like a massacre." said Harry.

Ron nodded in agreement. "One thing I don't get, though," he said. "Who do we want to win? I mean if it was Slytherin playing, we would want the other team to win. But…"

From a nearby table, Neville looked up. "Well, I think Ravenclaw should win. If they do, then they go against Slytherin, and if they win that, they knock Slytherin out of the running for the Quidditch Cup. Then we would go against Ravenclaw for it."

Harry blinked. Ron looked slightly shocked.

"Neville," he said, "How exactly do you know that?"

Neville shrugged slightly. "I've been thinking about it a bit."

"I don't know if I _want _to play against Ravenclaw, though," Ron pointed out. "They're dangerous."

"It would be a good match." said Harry. "At least we'd have a challenge."

Ron looked at him as if he were insane. "Do you _want_ to end up in the Hospital Wing?"

"No. But we haven't had decent matches in a while, if you think about it."

"I still say it's mad." stated Ron firmly.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly. Can you stop talking about Quidditch for just five minutes? You need to finish your Charms essay, Ronald."

Ron frowned. "Fine."

- - -

Ravenclaw beat Hufflepuff. Four Hufflepuff players ended up in the Hospital.

- - -

That night after dinner, a few hours after the match, Christof frowned heavily, watching Anika and Potter get up from their tables and leave the Hall together, talking as they did.

He turned to Malfoy, who was not far away. "Where are they going?"

Malfoy looked up to see who he was talking about, catching sight of Harry and Anika just as they left the Hall, then shook his head slightly. "I have no idea. They disappear a lot; even before they started dating."

Christof blinked. "_What?!?_" he shouted, "They're _dating?_ But she's engaged!"

Now it was Malfoy's turn to be confused. "Anika Krum is engaged? To who?"

"Me!" replied Christof.

"Well, obviously, she doesn't care." said Malfoy. "They've been dating since about a month after she arrived here."

This time, Christof didn't bother to reply. He stood from the Slytherin table, glaring, and left the Hall, determined to find Anika.

- - -

In the Room of Requirement, Harry and Anika had done almost no training what-so-ever since they had gotten there. Mostly, they had just been playing tricks on each other. Every time one of them would get serious about training, the other would not be able to resist temptation and would do something that would set them both off laughing again.

When Harry turned to try and at least do a little bit of practice, shooting a fireball at a target, Anika quickly snatched his wand from his pocket.

Harry turned, surprised, and then began trying to get it back from her. They ran around the room, laughing again, until he finally had her pinned to the ground, holding down her wrists.

Both of them looked up when the door of the Room burst open. Standing in the doorway was Christof, staring at the sight before him. To him, this situation did not look very innocent.

"_ANIKA SOPHAPHIA KRUM!!!" _he shouted, looking ready to explode. "What are you _doing_?!"

"Nothing!" replied Anika, as she and Harry jumped up off the floor. She straightened her hair and dress and frowned at him. "Absolutely nothing."

"It didn't look like 'nothing' to me!" replied her fiancée, "It looked like –"

"Well, it wasn't." said Anika firmly. But, of course, he didn't listen.

"This marriage is _off!_"

"No, wait!" cried Anika, as Christof turned to leave the room furiously. "Hold on… this is what I _wanted."_

Christof slammed the door.

Anika turned to Harry, beaming happily. "It's over!" she exclaimed. "I'm not engaged anymore!"

"Good for you," he congratulated. "Now can I have my wand back?"

"No," replied Anika, still grinning.

"But curfew's in a few minutes, and I have to get back to the common room!" whined Harry, giving her a pitiful look.

"Then you can get it back tomorrow." said Anika, amused.

"But Anika! _Please _can I have it back?"

"No, you can come get it from me in the morning." she replied.

Harry frowned at her jokingly. "Well, now I see why your fiancée broke it off with you." he stated.

Anika glared. "I hate you." she said, turning to walk away. Harry grabbed her wrist.

"I'm joking," he said.

Anika smiled. "I know." she replied, handing the wand back to him.

- - - - - - - - -

The next day Harry was sitting in Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Professor Krum was going over a short lecture when there was a knock at the door. Everyone turned, looking over their shoulders or twisting in their seats to see who it was. Classes at Hogwarts weren't interrupted often.

"Who is it?" asked Viktor.

"Do you not recognize your own sister?" was the sarcastic reply.

"No, seeing as the door is shut," said Viktor. "Come in, Anika."

Anika pushed open the door. "Well, you never said I could open it." she pointed out.

"All right, Anika, what do you need?" Viktor asked.

"The Headmaster wants me to take Harry Potter to his office." she said.

Ron and Hermione turned to Harry.

"What did you do?" whispered Ron, "And why didn't you tell _me_?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Ron. You _haven't _done anything bad, have you, Harry?" she added, looking at him, fully prepared to launch into 'scolding mode.'

"No, I haven't," he answered.

Thankfully, their whispered conversation went unnoticed by their Professor, who was still focused on Anika.

"Potter," said Viktor finally. "You may go."

He gave Anika a rather strange look, which seemed to say something along the lines of 'goodbye.' Anika frowned at him.

"Do you know something I don't?" she questioned.

"No." said Viktor.

Anika continued to look at him doubtfully for a moment, before she and Harry turned and left the classroom, closing the door behind them. As they headed down the corridor toward the main staircase, Harry turned to her curiously.

"Does Dumbledore really want to speak to me, or did you make that up?" he asked, knowing that she might do exactly that if she had a reason to.

Anika shook her head. "No, he wants to speak with both of us."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea."

The rest of the walk to the office passed in silence, until Anika had given the password (Harry didn't bother wondering about how she knew it) and they had reached the top of the spiral staircase. Anika knocked once on the door, and then opened it without waiting to be invited. Her dislike of Dumbledore hadn't faded at all.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Krum," greeted the Headmaster. "Have a seat. Lemon Drop?"

"We don't want any of those poisoned candies," said Anika. "Why did you want to talk to us?"

Dumbledore blinked, apparently still surprised by Anika's attitude towards him, before clearing his throat.

"I have something very important to tell both of you. I have received word that Voldemort is getting more and more powerful, and his army of Death Eaters is still growing. I have decided that it is no longer safe for either of you here, due to your Elemental powers, and because I think Voldemort will try to seek both of you out."

"So what are you saying?" questioned Harry. "That you want us to go into hiding?"

"Exactly." nodded Dumbledore. "I have talked everything over with the Minister, and your brother, Miss Krum, and we have come to an agreement. You will be sent to a secure location to train, until either you have mastered your powers and can defend yourselves properly, or you are no longer in danger."

"Well, why are we going into hiding, when we _should _be trying to fight Voldemort?" Harry asked.

"Because there's more than one Voldemort." said Anika quietly.

"Ah, you've read the book that I supplied." said the Headmaster, nodding.

"You were the one who left it?" asked Anika in surprise.

"Why didn't you ever mention this to me?" asked Harry, slightly insulted.

"I was going to. I just never really got the time." answered Anika, "I found an old book in the Room of Requirement one day; you were in class and I had a free period. It was just lying on the floor. So I started reading it, and it said… There are three different Voldemorts. One is in a sort of alternate universe, where we have to go and make sure he's killed. Apparently we have to get there by going to the exact center of the Bermuda Triangle and using a… 'Portal of Fire', whatever that is."

Harry nodded. This made an odd sort of sense, for some strange reason.

"I have the 'portal of fire' part taken care of." he said. "I figured it out a few days ago."

This time it was Anika who frowned. "Why didn't _you _tell _me _about _that_?" she asked.

Harry shrugged. "I was going to. I just never really got the time." he said, throwing her own words back at her.

"Ah, how secrets come out." sighed Dumbledore, smiling at them.

Anika decided to ignore him for the moment.

"And then there's a man named Davy Jones, who is the third part of Voldemort's soul; apparently he's the captain of a ship called the Flying Dutchman… Whatever that is."

Harry nodded slowly. "I've heard stories about that." he said. Anika frowned at him, but figured she'd get it out of him later. For now, there were other things to deal with. Such as…

"Where are we going to _go_?" she asked, frowning at Dumbledore. "You haven't told us yet."

"You will be staying in Port Royal, Jamaica." he announced.

Harry's eyes went slightly wide. "You mean, we'll be going all the way to the Caribbean?" he questioned.

"It's the last place Voldemort would ever look." said Dumbledore, "You'll be quite safe there."

Anika nodded. "That sounds good to me. What, are you afraid of the ocean?" she teased.

"No," answered Harry, rolling his eyes at her.

Dumbledore's smile widened at their antics, but he didn't comment.

"Where will we live? A cave or something similar?" asked Anika, with a predictable Pureblood take on that idea.

"No, no. I have already set up a house for you both to stay in. It's magically protected, so you should be safe in it. You'll be able to practice your studies inside without being disturbed by the Muggles."

"So we will be _sharing_ a house?" asked Anika skeptically. "How in the world did you get Viktor to agree to _this_?"

"He hasn't been informed of that bit of the situation." answered Dumbledore. "He believes that you will be staying in houses on opposite sides of the town, and that you, Anika, will be looked after by a kind elderly couple."

Anika scowled.

"Oh, and I will be needing your wands," their Headmaster added as an afterthought.

"Why?" asked Harry.

"Well, I'll be needing to remove the Ministry Underage-Magic-Alert charms from them." he said, "So that you will be able to use magic at your new residence without getting into trouble."

"Underage-Magic-Alert charms?" asked Anika and Harry together.

"How else did you think the Ministry always knows when underage spells are preformed?" Dumbledore questioned.

_Why the hell didn't I ever notice that? _Harry and Anika both wondered at the same time, exchanging another bewildered look.

They both handed over their wands, which Dumbledore took. Both the students eyed him with barely-hidden curiosity, hoping to overhear the charm-removal spell, just in case they might ever have need of it again.

"I will remove the charms. Your belongings have been transported to the Room of Requirement so that you may pack them without being questioned by your dorm mates, who would most likely want to know why you were doing so. Once you have your things ready, return to my office, and I will give you your wands back."

"All right," Harry agreed, standing from his chair. But Anika was frowning rather meekly.

"I – I don't know how to fold clothes." she admitted, getting right to the point.

"Then how did you do it before?" Harry asked, "Surely you had to pack at one point in your life?"

Anika nodded. "Well, yes, but I just –" she waved a hand to demonstrate, "—used my wandless magic. Harry, I've never had to pack for myself! I've used magic, or had filthy little House Elves, or my mother did it for me…"

"Sometimes I forget you're a Pureblood." Harry muttered. "I suppose I'll have to teach you, then."

"I _could _still use wandless magic, you know." reminded Anika.

"Yes, but it's probably a good idea that you learn now, because sooner or later you might not be able to use magic for some reason."

Anika sighed. "Fine."

- - -

When they arrived in the Room of Requirement a few minutes later, they found their trunks sitting, lids open, ready to be packed, and their belongings (the ones that weren't still in the trunks, having never been unpacked) lying out and prepared to be put up.

Harry began piling his textbooks into the bottom of his trunk, while Anika picked up one of her dresses and stared dumbly at it.

"…Harry?" she asked slowly after several moments.

"What?" he replied, looking up.

"Do you have any idea of how I'm supposed to fold this?" she questioned, holding up the long, frilly dress. Harry blinked at it in basically the same way as Anika had.

"Why the bloody hell would I know something like that?" he asked.

"Well you said you would teach me to fold my clothes," Anika reminded him, "This is part of my clothes."

"Yes, but I didn't mean dresses. I meant shirts and pants and socks and all that." Harry stated.

Anika threw the dress uncaringly into her trunk. "Well, I'm sorry, but I don't wear 'shirts and pants and that sort of thing' I wear dresses; you know, the fluffy things that are all one piece and are seemingly impossible to fold up?"

"Well then, _I'm _sorry you have to wear those things because you're a girl." replied Harry.

"So am I," sighed Anika. "Do you have any idea of how much these things weigh? Here," she dug through her pile, and, before Harry had time to protest, tossed a beaded, frilly one at him. He caught it out of reflex and stared at it, then her, then back again.

"Merlin!" he exclaimed, tossing it back at her. "You go around wearing these things every day?"

Anika half-smirked. "That was one of the lighter ones. Look at _this._"

She picked up another, and passed it with difficulty. It was long, also beaded, though more heavily than the other, until it glittered in the light. And it was _extremely _heavy.

Harry nearly dropped it, not having expected the weight. He let out a surprised exclamation.

"That's the heaviest I own," said Anika, nodding rather sadly. "You wouldn't believe how hard it is to walk in the blasted thing."

"Why – does it weigh – so much?" Harry choked out, handing it back.

Anika somehow managed to get the frilly, puffy thing back down into the trunk, and to her credit she still had a fair bit of room left in the trunk afterward. "It's the fabric." she explained. "I hate it."

- - -

They spent the next hour or so alternating between packing, talking, throwing her dresses back and forth, and other things that caused them to completely lose track of time so totally that they were so late in returning to Dumbledore's office that Dumbledore himself was forced to come and check on them.

By the time he arrived, Harry and Anika were both completely packed and were on their way out the door. He led them back up to his office, where he grabbed two large sacks of money off his desk, and passed them to Harry and Anika.

"What's this?" Anika asked, slightly suspicious.

"I had a bit taken from both of your accounts. You'll need something to buy food and such with when you're out on your own." he explained.

"Oh." Harry blinked. "Well, thank you. I hadn't thought about that."

"Me either." admitted Anika reluctantly.

Dumbledore glanced toward the magical clock on his wall, and then picked up an unopened bag of Lemon Drops from his desk. Anika opened her mouth, no doubt to say something rude, but Dumbledore cut her off.

"This will be the Portkey which will take you to your new house, and keep in mind that it will be quite a long trip, so you'll likely be dizzy at the end. And remember; when its midday here it tends to be around midnight in the Caribbean, so your sleeping schedules will need time to adjust."

"Oh, and Harry," he added, grabbing something else off the cluttered desk, "Here is your Apparition license." Dumbledore handed Harry his license.

"I'm not old enough." Harry stated, looking down at it rather blankly.

"Well, I spoke with the Minister, and he and I have agreed that you deserve it, since you may need to make a quick escape, should Voldemort somehow find your new location. You've taken four lessons so far with the other sixth years, correct?"

"Yes," said Harry, still looking uncertain, "And I managed to do it properly twice in the last lesson."

Dumbledore nodded. "Good, good."

"What about me?" questioned Anika. "How will _I _make a quick escape if Voldemort finds us?"

"I couldn't get one for you. You're too young, and you've never had a single Apparition lesson in your life." said the Headmaster, shaking his head slightly.

"But how _do _I get out if he finds us?" she asked.

"It will be up to Harry, so I suggest you remain close to him should the situation come to it." said Dumbledore. "I tried my best, but Cornelius simply refused to allow you a license."

Anika scowled slightly, but didn't comment again.

- - -

**A/N: Well, we're finally going to be starting the Pirates crossover next chapter. **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: If you've got any ideas for the Pirates of the Caribbean or Lord of the Rings parts of this story, please send us a message. Other than that, enjoy the chapter. **

**- - -**

The Portkey dropped them just outside the front door of their new house. Thankfully, it was so early in the morning that it was still dark out, and none of the Muggles could see them appear from thin air.

Anika brushed her hair from where the Portkey had caused it to fall in her eyes, and looked at the building in front of herself and Harry. It was a nice house, two stories tall and quite large. Of course, it was still nothing compared to Krum Manor. She couldn't make out much of the yard, due to it being so dark.

"Nice place," commented Harry after a moment.

Anika nodded. "It would have been nicer if the Portkey could have just taken us right inside." she said rather dryly.

"If it had, that would have meant that Dumbledore's wards were useless." Harry pointed out. "Then anyone with a Portkey could have gotten inside."

Anika blinked, wondering why she hadn't figured that out on her own.

After a few more moments of looking around, they turned to the door itself, realizing that Dumbledore had conveniently forgotten to give them a key.

"How do you suppose we're going to get inside?" she asked.

"Well, we could always try _Alohamora." _Harry suggested.

"Or he may have hidden a key somewhere around here. That seems like something he would do."

Harry shrugged, and they began looking around for places a key might have been hidden. As Anika bent over to check under the front mat, her hold on her things slipped. The handle of her trunk and her bag of Muggle money both fell to the ground. The bag burst upon impact, and her money spilt out onto the ground.

Anika cursed quietly, bending down and quickly beginning to gather it back up into the bag. After several moments of grabbing and shoving, she paused as she felt her hand close upon a strange object. She held it up to the light of a lantern which hung to the side of the front door.

"What's that?" Harry questioned.

Anika was still staring blankly at the small object sitting on her palm.

"A key." she said flatly. "He put the key in the bag. Why couldn't he have just _told _us that?"

Harry didn't answer; he was already digging through his own bag of money, and a few moments later he held up another, identical key. Anika glanced at it.

"So we each get one," she mused. "Well, that's good, I suppose."

Then, she placed her key into the keyhole and turned the key. The door opened, revealing a hallway. Harry and Anika stepped forward curiously. A bit into the hall and on the left side was the large, fully furnished sitting room, on the right was the kitchen, and at the end of the wide hallway was a staircase. There was another doorway, which led into a bedroom.

They headed upstairs without a word, finding a library/study, and two more bedrooms.

"Well, this is nice." Anika muttered.

Harry nodded. "It is." he agreed, not bothering to notice her sarcasm. "So… how many different bedrooms have we counted?"

"Uh… I think three," replied Anika.

"Which one do you want?"

"I don't know. You pick first."

"No, that's alright. Ladies first and all that." said Harry.

"Fine," Anika sighed, then pointed in the direction of the other upstairs bedroom, "That one."

"Alright. I'll have this one, then." Harry set his trunk and bag of money on the bed.

Anika thought for a moment. "Did you notice that we both are going to be sleeping on the same floor?"

It was a new idea to her, seeing as she'd basically had the whole floor to herself at Krum Mansion, and at Durmstrang she'd at least had her own dorm, far separated from the boys. At Hogwarts she slept in the Ravenclaw dorms, sure, but this was slightly different.

"Well, the room downstairs was smaller." said Harry dismissively.

Anika nodded in agreement. "So…" she said. "What do we do now? It's not like we need to buy anything – for once, Dumbledore did something right. This place has everything we need."

"I guess we could always just unpack." Harry suggested.

Anika nodded again, "Sounds alright to me." she agreed.

- - -

The next morning, Anika stumbled downstairs, still tired. They had both stayed up the rest of the Caribbean day, and the difference in time was extremely confusing. She'd been completely exhausted by the time the sun finally set and they had gone to bed, after being awake for the equivalent of a full night and day.

She slumped tiredly down in her seat upon reaching the table, and spent a few moments trying to wake up. Then, she looked around for something to eat.

When Harry walked in a few minutes later, Anika was sitting at the table, staring confusedly around the room.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Why is there no food?" she questioned.

Harry blinked. "Well, we had it for lunch and dinner yesterday, and the rest had to be gotten rid of because it went bad."

"It went bad?" Anika repeated, still looking confused.

Harry frowned, realizing that this was most likely something else to do with her being raised the way she had. "Yes, Anika," he said, "Food goes bad after a couple of days."

"It does?" she asked, looking as though this were completely new information to her, which, he supposed, it probably was.

"Well, yes," Harry repeated. "People have to go out and buy more once it spoils. You never knew that?"

"No." said Anika, seeming utterly bewildered. "The food at home was always just… _there. _Whenever I went into the kitchen and wanted some, it was sitting there, ready to eat. I never really knew that it wasn't all the same. It was that way at Durmstrang and Hogwarts, too. I thought all you had to do was cook it, and we always had House Elves for that."

"Oh." said Harry, blinking and shaking his head. "Purebloods." he muttered.

Anika frowned at him, but didn't bother with defending the honor of Purebloods, too caught up in her sudden realization that food didn't actually tend to last for long periods of time.

"What are we going to eat?" she asked finally.

"I don't know." Harry answered. "I suppose you'll have to go to the store and get some food."

"Me? Why me?" Anika demanded.

"Because you're a girl," said Harry, as though it should have been obvious. "Don't you think the Muggles might find it odd that _I _was out shopping when they know that _both _of us live here?"

"The Muggles don't know we're here. They can't see the house." dismissed Anika.

"Actually, they can," Harry corrected, causing her eyes to widen in alarm. "I saw two of them pointing at the house, and heard them talking… well, gossiping, more like. So they definitely know we're here." He explained.

"They know we're here? As in, they know that we're a girl and a boy, living together in the same house with no supervision? Oh, the sorts of rumors that must be going around…" Anika shook her head. "So much for Dumbledore's useless idea of us keeping our location secret. Everyone's going to be talking about us now. Useless wards. What's the point of them, if they don't stop the Muggles from seeing us?"

"No, the Muggles don't think anything like _that_," said Harry, "From what I heard, this house was deserted for a month after the last owners moved out, and when they saw the open windows, they came to see who'd moved in. They saw us walk past the windows and figured we were brother and sister."

"Brother and sister?" Anika repeated, nose wrinkling in distaste.

Harry nodded. "Yes. So you'll have to go shopping, and we'll have to make sure that if we're ever out in public, we don't call each other by our last names."

Anika sighed. "Alright." she said, standing from the table. Halfway across the room, almost to the door, she paused.

"Harry…" she said. "…where is the store?"

"Uh… Actually, I have no idea." he replied. "I guess I'll come with you… We might as well look around."

- - -

Harry and Anika were surprised when they headed down the street. The fact that they were so near the sea hadn't really dawned upon either of them until they caught sight of a flash of beach sand and green-blue water from between the trees.

They began to explore the town. There were houses and shops, along with Muggles walking around, docks and ships… It was a typical Caribbean port.

They had been walking around for quite a while, thankful that it was only morning and therefore the day wasn't too hot out yet, when Anika caught sight of a clothing store, and paused. Harry didn't notice for a moment and kept walking, before stopping and turning around.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Why don't you get some new clothes while we are in town?" Anika said, as she looked his clothing up and down with great dislike.

Harry frowned at her, "I don't need new clothes. These are just fine." he stated.

"Harry, honestly; they're far too big for you, and they're old." said Anika, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"So?" Harry asked, seeming to think that Anika's argument had no point what-so-ever.

"Harry, you live in a house like _that,_" Anika began, waving her hand back in the direction of their house, "You're walking down the street with someone dressed like _this,"_ she gestured to her expensive, fancy dress and styled hair, "And _you _go around looking like _that,"_ she pointed to his slightly tattered, old, too-large clothes. "You look like a street child."

He opened his mouth to speak, but she continued. "The Muggles might start to think that that I felt sorry for you and let you live with me."

"Fine," Harry sighed. "I'll get new clothes."

"Good." grinned Anika. "How did you get these horrid ones in the first place?"

"They were hand-me-downs from my cousin, Dudley," Harry explained with a slight scowl. "He's about ten times bigger than I am, and Aunt Petunia always made me wear his old things instead of letting me have ones of my own."

Anika frowned. "Your Aunt sounds quite… interesting."

"Oh, she is." Harry replied, turning to face the store, and then paused uncertainly. "You _are _coming with me, right?"

"Well of course," Anika replied. "I have to make sure you get something decent, don't I?"

Harry didn't bother to say anything else; he simply rolled his eyes. Then, they crossed the street and entered the store.

By the time they left, they had bought Harry a whole new wardrobe. Then, they headed to the market to get food.

- - -

Later that day, they were sitting in an otherwise deserted part of the beach. Anika was on a rock, and despite the fact that she used her fingers to eat the slice of buttered bread she'd bought, she also had a considerable amount of manners as she did so. Harry was standing near the waters edge. He had never been to the ocean before, but he wished he had, considering how he was enjoying it now. He was also thinking over some things.

"You know what?" he said aloud, causing Anika to blink, seeing as they had been sitting in silence for quite a while.

"What?" Anika asked.

"I could teach you to Apparate…"

"What?" Anika repeated, sitting up straighter and looking at him with wide, hopeful blue eyes.

"I think I could teach you to Apparate," Harry said, still thinking hard. "I mean, you heard what Dumbledore told us – if we get into a situation, it would be up to me to get both of us out. And I'd rather have you be able to get _yourself _out, if it ever comes down to it."

Anika nodded understandingly.

"So you'll teach me?" she questioned.

"Well, I've never actually taught anyone anything like that." stated Harry, "So I'm not entirely sure if I'll be able to do it right, but we might as well try."

"Alright," said Anika, glancing around to check for Muggles, "Do you think we should try it now?"

"Sure." said Harry, as Anika stood from her rock. "Apparating isn't hard; you just have to concentrate on moving _all _of your body and not leaving anything behind."

He paused, and quickly Apparated a few feet down the beach. Anika blinked as he disappeared into thin air for a moment, before reappearing. She'd seen people Apparate before, of course, but it surprised her slightly.

Harry picked up a nearby stick and drew a circle in the dirt. "The way they taught us at Hogwarts was to have us try and Apparate into a circle."

A few minutes of teaching later, and Anika closed her eyes, concentrating hard. She tried her best to picture herself standing inside the circle. She leaned back, spun… and…

…Felt icy cold water soak her completely. Anika gasped, inhaling saltwater as she did so and immediately starting to cough. She did her best to stay afloat, not bothering to waste time wondering about just how she had suddenly ended up in the ocean. What mattered most now was finding a way to keep her head above the water. She'd never been good at swimming, considering she'd only gone once in her life.

She felt her head slip under and kicked her feet hard, continuing to cough and searching desperately for something to grab. Nearby, she spotted a floating piece of board, and quickly made her way to it.

Anika threw her arms over the wood until she was lying mostly on top of it, thankful that it wasn't sinking. She spent a few moments catching her breath, before looking around. Port Royal was nowhere to be seen. It was endless ocean, all around her.

The amount of saltwater she'd swallowed suddenly caught up with her, and Anika began to feel dizzy.

- - -

Aboard the ship Tia Dalma had loaned them in order to get to Singapore, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann were standing near the railing, both lost in their thoughts. They had only been at sea for a few days, but they both knew that there was still quite a way to go. They weren't even out of the Caribbean yet, after all.

The crew were going about their tasks, most in high spirits at the thought of rescuing Jack. The only thing wrong was the fact that Barbossa was their Captain. He was currently in his quarters, leaving them to do the work.

Elizabeth and Will, along with everyone else, were startled when there was a sudden shout from the crows nest, "Man – I mean, _woman _overboard!"

"What?" shouted several people together, as everyone rushed to the rail.

And, sure enough, they caught sight of a burning wreck, once a ship. Quite a bit of it had been blown to pieces and was now floating through the water. And on one of those pieces was what appeared to be a girl, not moving.

"Haul her aboard!" shouted Will, taking charge of the situation, considering that everyone else was simply staring.

"Do you suppose she's alive?" was questioned in response.

Elizabeth sighed impatiently. "Just do it, please?" she requested, before muttering under her breath, "This situation is awfully familiar."

Will looked at her, knowing that she was referring to when he had been pulled out of the water when they were children. "Well, hopefully _she _doesn't have a pirate medallion." he remarked with a slight grin.

So the crew quickly pulled the girl out of the water, leaving her coughing, shaking, and only around half conscious on the deck. She was watching them all closely, uncertain of who they were or why they might have rescued her.

"It's okay," said Elizabeth, stepping forward. "We're not going to hurt you."

Anika's eyes shot up to the mast, searching for their flag, already suspecting that these people might be pirates. That idea was proven when she saw that they flew no flag at all, pirate or otherwise.

Then, she turned back to Elizabeth. "I don't believe you."

"Why not?" she blinked.

"Well, you're pirates, for one thing." said Anika rather coldly. "How could I trust you?"

"What makes you think we're pirates?" asked Will curiously.

Anika eyed him as though it should have been very obvious, getting to her feet. "You have no flag. If you worked for the Navy or even a merchant ship, you'd have a flag. Technically, even pirates have their flag, but some don't."

"She's smarter than she looks," commented one crew member.

Anika turned to face him with a glare. "I'm stronger than I look, too," she said threateningly.

"Can we throw her back overboard?" was asked.

"No." said Will and Elizabeth together, giving their own glares.

"Where exactly are we?" Anika questioned, ignoring them.

"I thought you didn't trust us? We're 'pirates', remember?" Will reminded her.

"Will!" exclaimed Elizabeth, "_What_ did you just say?"

"You heard," replied Will, confused.

Elizabeth still looked mildly scandalized. The fact that she had been raised as the Governor's daughter meant she'd been taught that such things were never said in the presence of any women, much less said _to _them. She decided she probably ought to tell Will that. "But – you can't say things like that to her; she's just a girl!"

"Why would that matter?" Will questioned, still looking confused.

Elizabeth stared blankly in reply. She couldn't believe Will had forgotten his manners so badly. It was becoming obvious that he had been around the pirates for far too long.

"I'm not even going to say it," she finally said, shaking her head slightly.

"Just _tell me_ how far from Port Royal we are. _You _don't look much like a pirate." Anika said to Will.

"Aren't you a bossy little person…"

Anika continued glaring at him. "When I don't get what I want," she snapped. She glanced around, then at her soaked dress, and out of habit she reached for her wand to dry herself off…

Anika closed her eyes in frustration. "Did I happen to have a… well, a wooden stick with me?" she questioned awkwardly.

"Um, no," replied Elizabeth, confused.

"Well, here's one floating in the water…" commented one of the crew, looking over the rail and at the sea below.

"Oh no…" whispered Anika to herself, and then ran across the deck.

"You may want to slow down," Elizabeth pointed out, "You're still in shock from the cold…"

But Anika ignored her. "Oh, come on, wand," she whispered, holding up a hand. The slowly sinking wand flew up into her hand after a moment.

"Holy crap!" shouted one crew member.

"What?" Anika asked quickly, shoving the wand behind her back and spinning to face them.

"That!" shouted another pirate.

"You – you – That stick just flew out of the water to you!" another exclaimed.

"No it didn't," Anika lied, "You're seeing things. You've been out in the sun for too long."

"You're a witch!"

Anika's eyes widened as the rest of the pirates all nodded. "No I'm not!"

"Yes, you are. That stick is a wand." one of the crew stated, as someone else snatched it from behind her back.

"How would _you _know it's a wand?" Anika asked.

"So it _is _a wand!"

Anika's eyes widened slightly, but she kept an innocent expression. "No," she said. "I just wondered how you would know the difference."

The crewmember holding her wand hostage raised an eyebrow at her. "So if I were to snap it, you wouldn't mind?"

- - -

**A/N: I know, terrible cliffy. Review please. **


	10. Chapter 10

- - -

Anika stared at the pirate for a moment. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," she finally said, glaring. "Bad things will happen if you break that wand."

"So you admit you _are _a witch!" cried another crewmember.

"What could you do to us without your _precious_ wand?" sneered the pirate who had stolen the wand from her. He grabbed it at each end, preparing to snap it in half.

Anika didn't reply; she simply continued with her glare. Then, not breaking eye contact, she raised a hand, and a jet of water flew up and hit him hard, sending the pirate stumbling backwards and causing the wand to go flying through the air. Anika calmly caught it by the handle and pointed it at him.

"She has to be hung! She's a witch!" screamed another pirate.

Anika paused; her angry expression melting in her momentary confusion, and blinked at him. "I thought witches were burned at the stake?" she questioned.

The pirate glared at her. "If we did that, we'd burn the ship down!" he exclaimed, then added nastily, "But we can try it, if you like."

Anika gave him a sour sort of smile. "No thank you." then, she dropped the smile. "But what gives you the right to burn me? Or hang me?"

"You've admitted you're a witch! You attacked me!" said the one who she'd knocked down with the water.

"That's because you touched my wand," replied Anika matter-of-factly. "You don't touch a witch's wand without permission."

The crewmember was about to retort, when Elizabeth cut in, wanting to stop them before this situation got any more out of hand. "Tia Dalma is a witch," she pointed out boldly. The crew all looked at her. "Well… of a sort." added Elizabeth uncertainly.

Will shot her a look, wondering why she would be trying to defend a witch. Elizabeth glanced at him and looked away, deciding to explain to him later.

The crew looked away from her and glanced at each other, knowing that she was right. Still, most of their sinister expressions didn't fade.

"I could help you," Anika suggested, thinking fast and hoping they wouldn't just kill her rather than hear her out. "If you help me. You don't want to kill someone who could help you, right?"

The crew paused in the act of drawing their various guns and knives, looking at her curiously. Elizabeth and Will shared a confused look, then turned their eyes to Anika.

"Well, um… what do you need help with?" Anika asked, as she tried to avoid looking at the guns and knives now being pointed at her.

The crew remained silent, though several of them exchanged looks or whispered suggestions. No one was quite brave enough to actually speak loudly enough for Anika to hear, however. Finally, Will stepped forward.

"We were on our way to Singapore," he said.

Anika frowned, feeling curiosity begin to form in her mind. She quickly smothered it. There was no reason for her to be interested in the goings-on of pirates, after all.

"Why?" she finally questioned, "And where exactly is that?"

"Well," Elizabeth began, "We need help, in order to rescue a – a friend of ours from Davy Jones's Locker."

By now, Anika looked completely bewildered. "Where's _that_?" she asked.

Elizabeth opened her mouth to explain the complicated tale, but Will interrupted.

"We'll explain that later." he said, then thought about Anika's offer. "But I suppose it _would_ be useful to have a… witch on board with us to help out."

Anika nodded. "I'll help you," she promised, "If you help Harry and I."

"Who is Harry?" questioned Will.

"My friend." Anika said, then her eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly. "Who is probably tearing Port Royal apart right now because I disappeared…" she added angrily to herself, wishing she would have thought of that sooner.

Will blinked, but continued anyway. "Port Royal is about three days away."

"I can get us there faster," offered Anika, realizing that her Elemental powers could be very useful now.

"How?" asked Elizabeth, confused.

Anika shrugged lightly. "Magic." she said simply.

"But…"

"Just let her do it." Elizabeth said, "If it gets us to Singapore more quickly, then it can't hurt…" she trailed off and shrugged.

"We need to stop by Port Royal first, before we go to… whatever it was called." Anika quickly cut in.

"Why?"

"Well, I've got to find Harry and explain everything to him." she pointed out. "He might get sort of angry if he found out I went all the way to… wherever that is… without him."

"But Port Royal is –"

Anika interrupted the crewmember before he could continue. "Like I said, I can get us there faster with magic." she said. "And all of my things are at the house in Port Royal; there is absolutely no way I'm going all the way to… that place without them."

"Alright," agreed Will hesitantly, "Though I don't think _Captain_ –" he sneered slightly, "Barbossa will like this much."

Of course, what they didn't know was that Barbossa would have figured out that they had picked up a new passenger by now, and the only reason he hadn't was because he and Tia Dalma were currently in his cabin discussing their upcoming mission. Tia Dalma had placed her equivalent of a silencing charm upon the room, and neither she nor the Captain had heard a word of what was taking place on the deck.

"Then your Captain doesn't have to know." Anika replied, a very Slytherin gleam in her eyes.

Not waiting for them to reply or giving them any warning, she raised a hand, concentrating hard. Anika wasn't entirely sure of exactly what she wanted to happen, seeing as she'd never directed a ship before, but she knew which way she wanted it to go, so it couldn't be very difficult…

And, to her great surprise, it actually worked. She was able to make the ship practically fly through the water at an impossible speed. Well, impossible without magic, that is.

As the ship suddenly gained its incredible speed, everyone on deck was tossed violently backwards. The crewmembers grabbed the railings and lines, cursing loudly. Some weren't so lucky and ended up on their behinds. Anika, however, simply leaned forward slightly and didn't stumble at all.

- - -

Anika's first day on a ship was basically uneventful. 'Captain' Barbossa remained below deck, so she was in no danger of being thrown back overboard. She stood awkwardly to the side as the crew began to go about their jobs, slowly getting used to the fast moving ship. Most of them seemed to be doing their best to ignore her, occasionally throwing her wary looks, though Anika could understand the reason why. These were Muggles, and she was a witch.

She wandered around the deck for quite a while, uncertain of what exactly she was supposed to do. Finally, Elizabeth caught sight of her lost expression and walked over.

"Am I in the way again?" asked Anika wearily.

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, its fine."

"Oh." said Anika, glancing around at the pirates working on the deck. "So everyone on this ship is a pirate?"

"Almost. Will and I aren't, at least." Elizabeth replied.

"He could have fooled me," remarked Anika, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Elizabeth smiled. "I suppose he could. He comes from a pirate family. Or, his father was one, at least. He's been spending far too much time with them not to have picked up their habits."

Anika nodded. Then, something that she had been thinking about came back to her, and she looked at Elizabeth curiously. "Why were you so open to me being a witch?"

Elizabeth paused for a moment. "I have a cousin… twice removed, I think. He goes to a magic-school back in England."

Anika perked up slightly. "What his name?" she asked. "I may have met him."

"Neville." replied Elizabeth. "Neville Longbottom."

Anika's jaw dropped slightly. "_Neville_?" she repeated.

"Yes," said Elizabeth. "Do you know him?"

"Yes. I do. He has a very unhealthy obsession with plants." said Anika.

"Anika!" shouted Will, interrupting their conversation. "Could you slow us down? If not, we'll crash into the shore."

Anika blinked. She hadn't realized that they had already reached Port Royal. "Sure." she said, slowing the ship back to a normal speed.

Then, she paused. "We haven't reached the shore yet,"

"If anyone had seen how fast we were sailing, they might figure out that we have a witch on board."

"Good point." said Anika, nodding.

Soon they had reached shore, and Anika quickly climbed onto the railing. Before anyone could stop her, she jumped overboard. Before she hit the sandy beach below, she used her earth powers to cushion her fall. Still, she landed with a thump.

The crew looked over the edge, wondering if she'd broken her neck. Anika glared at them, then turned and began making her way forward. This was the same deserted part of the beach that she had taken her Apparation lesson on just that morning. Not far away was the house she shared with Harry, the back of it facing the edge of the beach.

Most of the crew remained on the ship, while Will and Elizabeth made their way down to land and set off after Anika. They soon caught up to her, and the three of them headed toward the house.

"But I thought this was deserted…" muttered Elizabeth, looking up at it with confusion.

"It was." said Anika. "We, erm, just moved in."

"'We'?" repeated Will. "You mean you live here together?"

"It wasn't _our _idea," protested Anika.

Will opened his mouth, but Elizabeth shook her head at him and he closed it again without a word. They made their way to the front of the house and up to the front door.

Anika reached for her key, and then cursed mentally as she realized that it had probably sunk to the bottom of the ocean. So, she was forced to knock on the door, hoping Harry might be inside.

After a few moments, he opened the door, looking completely confused.

"Anika?" Harry questioned.

"Yes," said Anika. "It's me. Um… How long have I been gone?"

"About a day." answered Harry, "Where were you? And why didn't you just walk in?"

Anika frowned uncomfortably. "I ended up in the middle of the ocean. And I couldn't walk in; my key sank right to the bottom."

Harry blinked. "Oh." he turned his attention to the two unfamiliar people standing next to her on the doorstep. "Who are they?"

Anika glanced at them. "That's Will and Elizabeth."

"Who are Will and Elizabeth?" Harry questioned, trying to get her to the point.

"Well…" Anika paused. "We're going to help them… then they're going to take us to the center of the Bermuda Triangle."

"'We'?" Harry repeated, frowning.

"Yes." Anika replied. "We. They need our help to rescue…" she turned to Elizabeth, "What was his name?"

"Jack." supplied Elizabeth.

Anika turned back to Harry. "Yes. They need our help to rescue Jack from some place called… 'Davy Jones's Locker'"

"_What_?" Harry questioned, a slightly shocked expression crossing his face. "But that's impossible!"

"So _you_ know what it is, too?" Anika asked, scowling. "Why is it that I'm always the one who doesn't know what everyone else is talking about?"

"You're a Pureblood," answered Harry, as though it should have been obvious. "You were locked in a mansion until you went to school."

Anika paused. "True." she admitted. "We have to pack now."

"We're leaving now?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Yes." replied Anika, then waved her hand. Using wandless magic, she had all of their things pack themselves into their trunks, then shrunk the trunks to pocket size and made them float down the stairs.

Harry and Anika both easily caught the small trunks as they flew toward them, reaching up and snatching them with one hand as only Seekers could. Will and Elizabeth blinked.

"So where exactly are we going?" Harry asked.

Anika paused, frowned, and gave it her best shot. With her Bulgarian accent, it wasn't easy. "Sing – sanga – singo –"

"Singapore." supplied Elizabeth and Will together, taking pity on her, as amusing at it was.

Anika smiled, relieved. "Yes, Singa-whatever."

"But that's on the other side of the world!" protested Harry.

"You know where that is, too?" Anika asked, exasperated.

"You really want me to answer that?" Harry asked in return.

If they stayed docked in Port Royal for too long, Will knew that the Royal Navy might spot them. "I hate to interrupt your reunion," he began, "But we should probably hurry."

Anika and Harry nodded, and they left the house, heading back down to the ship. When they had all climbed back aboard, Harry glanced around for a moment, then turned to Anika with a frown.

"This is a pirate ship." he stated.

Anika blinked. "Oh. So you figured it out?" she asked sweetly, hoping he wouldn't press the matter. She had actually been holding out hope that he might not notice until they were already out at sea.

"It's fairly obvious, Anika," Harry replied flatly. "Have you not noticed that every person here aside from the two of us is carrying at least three different types of weapons? Or the fact that they fly no flag and that we're trying to leave before the Navy spots us?"

Anika blinked again. "How did you…"

"That's why we had to leave immediately, isn't it?" Harry continued.

"Well… how do you know that these people," Anika gestured toward the crew, "Aren't completely innocent, or that there might be someone out to kill them?"

"Yes," Harry agreed. "The Royal Navy!"

"Harry." sighed Anika, "They aren't…" he shot her a look, guessing what she'd say next. She paused. Anika couldn't bring herself to lie when faced with those green eyes. "Well, they _are_ pirates, but… They're not all bad people. Think about Will and Elizabeth… and even your mum!"

A moment after the words were out of her mouth, Anika froze, then gasped and clapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide. That was _not _the way she had meant to tell him.

Harry looked completely thrown for a moment. "…_What_?!" he exclaimed. "My mother wasn't…She couldn't have been…" he shook his head, unable to continue.

Anika slowly lowered her hands from her face. "I'm sorry!" she cried, then stopped, unsure of how to explain this. Harry was still staring at her, shocked. "I meant to tell you, but I just didn't know how... Do you… do you remember that book, the one Dumbledore left for me to find? It had information about Voldemort's three-soul thing… and about famous wizard and Muggle families."

"So you've known this…" Harry looked at her, seeming betrayed. "You've known ever since you read it, and you didn't bother to tell me? Anika… I can't believe you!"

Anika tried to ignore his angry expression, hurrying to explain, "It talked about the Potter's… my family… basically all the most famous families in both worlds. One of the Muggle families had the last name of Evans… They were a famous pirate family. For centuries."

"You also have a cousin," she continued, "Who is still alive –"

"Yes," Harry interrupted, "Dudley."

Anika shook her head. "No. One of your mum's cousins… Jack Sparrow."

Everyone around them froze. Anika hadn't realized how loudly they had been speaking, but at the mention of that name, the entire crew stared.

"What…" began one, dumbfounded.

"Why?" asked Anika, looking around in confusion, "Do you know him?"

"Yes," answered Elizabeth, eyeing Harry in surprise but not looking quite as shocked as the others. "He's the one we're going to save."

Harry turned to Anika, glaring. "I bet you knew that too, didn't you, Anika? You just _forgot _to mention it!"

"No, I didn't!" she retorted. "So stop jumping down my throat!"

"How am I _supposed_ to react?" Harry questioned, "You can't keep something like that a secret and just expect me to be fine with it!"

"I _tried_ to tell you, dammit!" cried Anika.

The crew gaped even more upon hearing a girl curse, but Harry didn't even blink.

"Then why didn't you tell me when you found out?" he demanded.

"Merlin, Harry! Because I thought you would react like _this_!" she replied furiously.

"Well you thought right!" he replied.

Anika scowled. "Well if it makes you feel any better, _I_ found out that _my_ family is part pirate, too!"

Harry snorted. "The Krum's? Part pirate? That isn't possible."

"Not the Krum's!" corrected Anika angrily. "I was adopted! I didn't even know until I read that book! My real family was killed by Death Eaters. Most of them were wizard-pirates, even though they were Purebloods!"

Harry paused. "What?"

Anika nodded furiously. "Yes! My grandmother even got remarried once and had another child, so I have an Uncle who I've never even met, who is a _Muggle_! I have a twin sister I've never met, as well! Her name is Isabella. Isabella _Malfoy_!"

Harry's jaw dropped. "Your sister was…"

"Adopted by the Malfoy's, just like I was adopted by the Krum's." finished Anika.

Harry stared for a moment. Then, he managed to get over his shock.

"Is your uncle still alive?" he questioned.

"Yes," Anika replied.

Harry knew it was doubtful that he would have ever met this person before, but it was still possible, since he'd been raised in the Muggle world. So, he asked. "What's his name?"

"Will." replied Anika shortly.

"Will what?"

"Will Turner. Or, _William _Turner, to be more exact…"

Harry frowned and shook his head. "Never met him." he said dismissively.

By now the rest of the crew had recovered from the shock of learning that Jack had a cousin and had returned to their work, no longer listening. Will and Elizabeth, however, had heard every word. Now, Will silently turned and walked away. Elizabeth had given a small gasp upon hearing the news that Will had a niece, but she knew that it would be up to Will to tell Anika.

"Anika!" shouted Will after a moment, realizing that they were now far enough from shore to use 'magic'. "Could you speed us up?" he requested rather snappishly.

"Oh." Anika blinked. In her discussion/argument with Harry, she had lost track of just how far out in the ocean they now were. "Sorry." she muttered, then used her Elemental power on the ship again.

Prepared this time, the whole crew got a good grip on the rail and lines as she did so. Even if they were all the way across the deck, they practically threw themselves toward the nearest solid objects. Harry frowned at their odd behavior and the expressions on their faces, but didn't comment. Like Anika, he simply leaned slightly forward to avoid falling down.

Anika looked at Will. "Anything else?" she asked rather emotionlessly. Inside, she wondered why he had suddenly become so short with her.

"Nothing." he replied.

"Alright." Anika turned to Harry. "Anything else, Potter?"

"No, Krum." he replied, and they went their separate ways.

Anika headed over toward Elizabeth, while Harry looked around for a moment, uncertain, before heading over to Will. He had noticed how his face had gone momentarily pale when Anika began talking about her uncle, and suspicions were already forming in Harry's mind.

"What's wrong with you?" Harry asked casually.

"Nothing." replied Will, a bit too quickly.

Harry's eyebrows rose. "You sort of went pale when Anika was talking about her uncle William." he remarked.

"Oh, I did?" questioned Will, avoiding his eyes.

"And you were short with her."

"No I wasn't." Will protested, still hoping to get out of this. "I just asked her to move the ship along."

"I think your exact words were '_Anika! Could you speed us up?'_" Harry copied his impatient tone perfectly.

"What'd I do?" asked Anika confusedly from her place further down the deck, looking up from her conversation with Elizabeth.

"Nothing," Harry answered. "I was just talking to Will."

Anika frowned. "About me?"

"No. Just asking him something." replied Harry.

Anika looked at him skeptically for several moments, then finally shrugged uncaringly and returned to speaking with Elizabeth.

Harry turned back to Will. "Your name wouldn't happen to be 'William Turner', would it?"

Will froze slightly and quickly looked away, the expression on his face giving away the answer. Harry forced himself not to look smug, but he was glad to have gotten to the bottom of the issue so easily.

"I won't tell her." Harry added, then walked away.

- - -

About an hour later, Anika was sitting in a corner of the deck with Elizabeth, still absorbed in conversation.

As Will walked by, still trying to get used to the idea of having two nieces he had never even heard of before, he heard part of their talk.

"…really do wish I could meet my uncle, though," Anika was saying.

Will couldn't help himself.

"You have." he said.

Anika and Elizabeth looked up. Anika frowned, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You've met your uncle." Will repeated.

Anika looked at him as though he was insane. "No, I haven't."

"You have. He's standing right in front of you."

"You're William Ivan Turner the second?" Anika asked numbly, still staring, her eyes now wide.

"Yes." answered Will, and then walked away without another word.

- - -

For almost two full days, Will and Anika remained on opposite sides of the ship, avoiding each other at all costs. They wouldn't speak to each other or even remain in the same room any longer. If they were on the deck, they would stay as far from each other as possible. If one was below deck and the other entered the room, everyone would pause, while Will and Anika stood completely still for a moment before one would leave without a word.

Harry and Elizabeth were getting frustrated.

Finally unable to take the strained silence any longer, Harry walked over to Elizabeth and whispered, "We need to get them," he gestured to Anika and Will, "To talk."

"I agree." she said quietly, nodding. "And I have an idea."

- - -


	11. Chapter 11

- - -

Harry and Elizabeth headed down to the galley to work on their plot. Anika had headed down to her cabin and gotten a Potions book out of her trunk. She had only been reading for a few minutes when she heard an unfamiliar voice coming from the deck. For a moment, she paused, frowning. Then, Anika's natural curiosity won over, and she closed the book, leaving her cabin and heading back up toward the deck.

When she reached the deck, the crewmembers caught sight of her, and all of them froze, giving her horror-filled, wide-eyed looks. One, who she believed was named Gibbs, gestured frantically for her to run back below deck.

Anika looked past them, trying to see who the voice she had heard might belong to and why the crew was so frantic. She caught sight of an unfamiliar pirate with a large hat, and then realized that this must be the 'Captain'. Anika's eyes widened, and she turned to run. Unfortunately, the Captain saw her at that instant.

She had only gone a few feet before she felt an arm go around her to hold her in place as a cold sword was pressed to her neck. Anika was then half-dragged back out onto the deck.

"And who might you be?" the Captain questioned her sarcastically.

Anika remained frozen. The sword was pressed so hard to her throat that she was afraid to speak for fear of having it cut her.

The pirates around the deck were still in their own frozen positions. Will, however, couldn't remain silent while her life was being threatened.

"Let her go!" he exclaimed.

Barbossa raised an eyebrow at him. "What's it to you?" he asked.

Will replied without pausing to think. "She's my niece."

A half-moment after he spoke the words, he realized his mistake. Anika gave Will an angry look for revealing that information, but he did his best to ignore it.

"Another Turner?" asked Barbossa mockingly, "I thought you were the only living one left."

"I'm not a Turner." Anika finally spoke, still glaring at Will. "He's my half-uncle. My name is Anika Krum, actually."

Barbossa was silent for a moment, then looked down at the top of her head with mild interest. "Your half-uncle?"

Anika paused, wondering if he might let her go if she told the truth. Seeing as this was a _pirate_, she highly doubted it, but Will had already given away the secret, and she decided that she might as well try and explain. It wasn't very complicated, after all.

"Basically, his mother was my grandmother."

Barbossa smirked. "Well, well…" he suddenly looked at Will. "Give me one good reason not to kill her. She's intruding on _my _ship without permission."

"_Your_ ship?" asked Anika, sarcastic even at the point of a sword. "So you would be Bar – ahem – _Captain _Barbossa?"

"Yes. I am Captain Barbossa, and you, missy, are aboard my ship." he replied.

"Well, obviously," Anika agreed. "I've only been here for, oh, about five or six days now."

Barbossa froze for a moment at that. "_What_?" he demanded.

Anika winced, realizing too late that she probably shouldn't have said that. She glanced toward Will, thinking fast to try and come up with a way out of the corner she had backed herself into. When nothing came to mind, she settled on trying to keep Barbossa talking for as long as possible in the hope that she might somehow be rescued.

"I've been on this boat for five or six days now," Anika repeated rather smugly. "I suppose you're really not much of a Captain. You didn't even notice when I came aboard, or when we docked in Port Royal."

Barbossa was now glaring at her in annoyance. "The correct term is ship, not _boat_." he paused. "When were we in Port Royal?" then, he looked menacingly toward the crew, "And _who,_ exactly, made the decision to dock there?"

- - -

One member of the crew had managed to sneak away from the confrontation and was now trying to find Harry and Elizabeth. Hopefully, they would be able to stop Barbossa from killing Anika.

Finally, after checking several other possible places, Mr. Gibbs burst into the galley.

Harry and Elizabeth had been sitting at the table, working on their 'evil plot'. They both looked up in alarm when he entered.

"Barbossa has Miss Anika!" Gibbs exclaimed.

Harry froze. He and Elizabeth shared a look for half a moment. "…Oh no."

Then, all three of them raced toward the deck.

- - -

The crew, Will, and Barbossa, who was still holding Anika, all looked up at the sound of several pairs of heavy, fast footsteps coming their way. A moment later, Elizabeth, Harry, and Gibbs burst onto the deck, out of breath but still managing to glare at the Captain.

"Anika, _what_ is going on here?" Harry asked, looking at her.

Anika tried to shrug, and failed. Barbossa dug the sword in a bit deeper in annoyance.

"It isn't _my_ fault! I haven't done anything." she said defensively to Harry, ignoring Barbossa for the moment.

Harry frowned at her. "Then why is your neck bleeding?" he questioned.

Anika blinked in surprise. Now that he mentioned it, she noticed that the side her throat did sort of burn, as if it was cut. She carefully reached her fingers up and felt the blood, wincing. Barbossa took the opportunity to press the sword even harder. Anika winced again, trying to lean away from it.

"Who the hell are you?" Barbossa demanded, glaring toward Harry.

"Harry." he replied simply, knowing not to tell too much to someone who would obviously use any useful information against them.

"My boyfriend." stated Anika.

Harry turned to her, giving her a look.

"What?" Anika asked, defensive again. "He already knows everything else, since _William _over here went and _told_ him."

Harry, along with Elizabeth, turned the look to Will.

"What?" he asked, getting an expression quite similar to Anika's. "I didn't know it was a crime to tell him I had a niece. It sort of slipped."

"You're fixing to find out what slips," muttered Anika, still a bit sour due to their week of awkward silences and avoiding each other. "Like a sword, pointed right at you. _Accidentally, _of course."

Barbossa rolled his eyes at them all, wishing to get back to the main topic.

"Why shouldn't I just kill you?" he asked again, tightening his grip on Anika.

"Because we're helping you." she stated quickly, finally seeing a possible way out of this situation.

For a moment, Barbossa seemed slightly thrown by that. "You're helping?" he finally repeated in a doubtful tone.

"Yes." said Anika proudly. "I made a deal with Will and Elizabeth here." she gestured to them. "Harry and I help you get… Jack, I think his name was, and then you take us to the center of the Bermuda Triangle."

Without giving him a chance to reply, Anika twisted slightly to get her throat away from the sword tip, jammed her elbow into his stomach, and shot him with a fast, hard blast of water, knocking the sword from his hand. Barbossa stumbled backward, as Anika went to stand next to Harry.

"_What_ was that?" Barbossa demanded.

"I told you," Anika answered. "We can help."

"No, you will _not_." There was a frightening sort of finality in the Captain's tone. It was clear he would go to any lengths necessary to get them off his ship.

He took a step toward the two of them, and both Elementals raised a hand threateningly.

"Take one more step…" warned Anika.

Barbossa sneered. "What can _you_ do to stop me?"

"Hmm…" Anika mused sarcastically, and as she continued her Bulgarian accent was extremely evident. "You want to see?"

Captain Barbossa reached for a knife. Before he had a chance to grab it, Harry and Anika acted. Barbossa was slammed by wind and water, and thrown backward off his feet, stumbling and catching his balance by grabbing the rail. Then, he turned to stare in astonishment at the young witch and wizard. They were both giving him flat, furious glares, one hand still raised and prepared to attack again if they had to.

"_What_…" he began, shocked but still angry. He seemed unable to finish his sentence.

"Magic." stated Anika simply.

"There is no such thing!" shouted Barbossa. "It isn't possible."

"Then how do you explain this?" Harry questioned, conjuring a fireball in one hand. Anika smirked and did the same with her water and earth powers. Harry didn't bother with wind; it was rather hard to see air, after all.

"And," continued Harry after a moment, "We have wands, as well."

Barbossa stared. "You're _witches_?!"

"Witch and _wizard_." Anika corrected.

"I have the Element of wind, too, but there's really no point to summoning a ball of air." Harry said, answering the question forming in a few crewmembers minds.

It took Barbossa several moments worth of bewildered silence to finally wrap his mind around what he had just seen. Then, he spoke. "So just what _are_ you doing aboard my ship, and how do you expect your petty magic tricks to help at all with getting in and out of Davy Jones's Locker?"

Anika's eyes narrowed when he insulted their magic, but she didn't let on that it had any affect on her. She had learned at Durmstrang to never show any sort of weakness to an enemy, though Harry could easily see how annoyed she was at Barbossa.

"We can make the ship go faster, sink or set fire to enemy ships…" began Harry.

"And you wouldn't have to eat that _disgusting_ food any more, since we could Summon something decent," finished Anika.

Barbossa continued to glare at them for a moment. "Just don't get in my way." he finally snapped, and stormed below deck. A few moments later, they heard his cabin door slam.

The crew remained where they were for a bit, then went back to their jobs. Anika headed back to her own cabin, while Harry, Elizabeth, and Mr. Gibbs returned to the galley to finish working on the plan.

Down in the galley, Gibbs grabbed a mug and scooped water out of a barrel and onto the floor, while Harry set up a magical device that made it possible to watch and hear everything going on in the room, which he had learned from Anika during their long hours in the Room of Requirement. Then, he Summoned all of the possibly dangerous items in the room, placed them into another barrel, and hid them in a corner outside the door.

While Harry and Elizabeth hid themselves in the corner near the barrel, Mr. Gibbs headed back on deck to find Will.

"There's a lot of water on the floor in the galley," he reported, once he had managed to locate Will. "We think there may be a leak, and we need someone to check it. But the Captain's not in the best of moods at the moment…"

Will nodded, and headed down to the galley to check for the possible leak. As he passed their hiding spot, Harry quickly Summoned Will's sword. Elizabeth caught it and they watched as Will entered the galley without even noticing.

Meanwhile, Gibbs went to find Anika.

When she opened the door of her and Elizabeth's shared cabin, he gave her basically the same story he had given Will.

"There's water on the floor in the galley. Might be a leak. Since you've got that power over water, we thought you might be able to check it out…"

Anika nodded. "Alright." she agreed, and followed him to the galley.

As she walked past, Harry Summoned her wand, before hurrying forward to magically lock the doors behind her.

Hearing the door slam, Anika turned, and Will looked up from where he was checking for leaks near a large puddle of water on the floor.

"They set us up…" remarked Anika angrily, glaring at the door.

"What do you mean?" asked Will, confused.

"I mean, they threw us both in here and locked the door." said Anika. "Basically, they want us to talk. I don't have anything to say. Do you?"

"Um, no." Will agreed, so they sat down in silence. Soon, Anika began to play with the water puddle on the floor. She made drops of it fall loudly into the puddle at a constant, unchanging speed. The resulting "drip" sound was extremely annoying.

After a few minutes of this, outside the door, Elizabeth turned to Harry.

"Do you suppose it really is leaking?" she asked, concerned.

"No," said Harry. "Anika is probably just playing with the water. And I thought you said Will would break easily?"

"I thought he would! And he certainly _should, _with that horrible noise." she glanced at the piece of parchment, upon which a square screen had formed, allowing them to view the galley from above, showing a very annoyed-looking Will.

"Anika," he asked, finally unable to take any more of the sound. "Can you stop that, please?"

"No." she replied. "I'm bored."

_Wait a moment, _she thought, _I finally have someone here who can explain what that Davy Jones's Locker is, and why we have to go there to get Harry's cousin…_

"Will," she began, looking up at him. "What the bloody hell is Davy Jones's Locker?"

Will blinked, for two reasons. One, because he was surprised; he had thought she already knew what the Locker was, and two, because the dripping noise had stopped. Anika was no longer playing with that blasted puddle.

"From what I know, Davy Jones's Locker is… a sort of world between living and the dead. Jones sends people there when they make a deal with him and choose not to repay him by working on his ship; he puts you in the Locker… which is rather like a pirate hell." Will said, making a quick summary of what he suspected the Locker was, and how someone might end up trapped there.

Anika nodded, taking it in. Absently, she wondered how Harry had known about it. Then, she decided to change the subject. "Did your mum ever use magic when you were growing up?" she asked. Anika knew that if they just got on with it and talked about something, they would have a better chance of being let out.

"No, she never did. Or at least not in front of me." Will answered. He paused for a moment, then asked, "Why were you adopted by the Krums?"

"Because my Mum and Dad were killed when Isabella and I were around two months old. Death Eaters – Dark wizards – broke into our house. Mum hid us just before they broke in, and she and dad were killed. My sister started crying, and the noise led the Death Eaters right to her. She was taken by the Death Eaters and I wasn't. I was found by the Order, and as far as the rest of the world knew, I had no living relatives." Anika explained. "I read all about it in a… very special book."

"But your grandmother was still alive then," Will said, frowning.

Anika nodded. "Technically, I should have gone to her, but she must have faked her death at some point during the war against Voldemort -- the 'Dark Lord' who leads the Death Eaters – and to the wizards she was dead. Everyone knew that Isabella had been adopted by the Malfoy's, so they thought it was fairer to have _me_ be taken in by a wizarding family as well."

"But you lived in England, didn't you?" Will questioned. "How did you get all the way to the Caribbean?"

"Bulgaria," corrected Anika. "The Krum's are Bulgarian. _Then_ I went to Hogwarts, in England, and after around three months, the Headmaster, Dumbledore, said that Harry and I had to go into hiding. The Caribbean is the last place he would ever look."

They ended up spending quite a while in the galley talking, and eventually Harry and Elizabeth unlocked the doors and left them in peace, once they were certain that Anika and Will wouldn't kill each other the moment they were left alone.

- - -

Anika and Elizabeth didn't think it was fair or safe that they were only allowed a dagger at the most, when, aside from Harry, all the men had at least two weapons. Throughout the next few days, Elizabeth and Anika spent their spare time trying to think up ways to get proper weapons for themselves.

"…What if we used magic to make some sort of vest, which could hold weapons?" Anika suggested, looking at Elizabeth to get her approval.

"That will work, I think, but where are we going to get all of the weapons themselves?" Elizabeth asked.

Anika thought for a moment. "We could ask a few of the crewmembers if we can borrow them, and then multiply the weapons with magic. None of the crew would bother asking _why_ we need the weapons; no one will know what we're up to." she finally stated, pulling her wand out of her pocket.

Anika quickly used a conjuring spell, thinking hard about what she wanted to conjure. After a few moments, there was a flash of blue light, and two vests appeared. Both had special 'pockets' to hold up to six pistols and six daggers. Now, they just need to ask the crew for their weapons.

"Let's go ask to borrow a pistol and dagger from some crewmember." Anika said, and they walked out of their cabin, up to the deck.

Anika and Elizabeth looked around for a moment, making sure that they wouldn't be caught. Then, they walked up to one of the crewmembers who was out of Harry and Will's sight.

"Excuse me, can I use your dagger and pistol? I'll bring them back." Anika promised.

"Uh… sure, I suppose." the crewmember shrugged, as he handed them to her.

_One good thing about being on a pirate ship_, Anika decided as she tucked the weapons out of sight, _is that when you ask to borrow potentially deadly things, no one even questions why you need them_.

Anika turned, about to walk away. Then she looked back to him and added, "Oh, by the way; just don't tell anyone that I asked you for your dagger and pistol. They might be a bit suspicious."

The crewman gave her a slightly odd look. "Alright," he agreed after a moment, going back to his job. "I won't tell anyone."

"Good." Anika said, as she and Elizabeth, who was hiding a grin of success, walked away and headed back to their shared cabin.

When they had closed their door, Anika pulled her wand out again. Then, she used a Copying spell on the dagger and pistol, making twelve identical pistols and six daggers.

Anika went and returned the pistol and the dagger back to the crewmember, while Elizabeth examined the new weapons they had Copied. Then, when Anika was back in the cabin, they put the vests on under their loose men's shirts, and tucked their new pistols and daggers into the pockets. Then, while trying to get used to the strange feeling of the vests, Elizabeth and Anika headed up on deck to see if there was anything the crew needed their help with.

- - -

A bit later that same day, Anika and Elizabeth were standing near rail. There wasn't much for them to do, since the entire crew absolutely refused to allow women to do any of the harder jobs.

Anika had been looking at Harry, who was talking with Will, when she noticed something that had completely slipped her mind before. Harry, unlike most of the others, had no sword. She frowned for a moment, then walked across the deck, deciding to ask him about it.

"Something wrong, Anika?" Harry asked, noticing the frown.

Anika nodded. "Yes, I think so. Why aren't you carrying a sword?" she asked.

Harry shrugged. "Don't need it."

Anika couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "And what will happen if we fight Muggles? You can't always rely on magic."

"Well, there's no point in having a sword if I don't know how to use it." Harry pointed out.

"You don't know how to use a sword?" demanded Anika flatly. "Harry, _I_ know how to use one, and I'm not even allowed!"

From not far away, Will looked at his niece in surprise upon overhearing that, but didn't interrupt their conversation.

"Elizabeth and I are allowed to use daggers, on the other hand," Anika continued, "but no one ever actually _gave_ us any. How are we supposed to use them if we don't have them?"

"You should probably ask." Harry said, as if it were obvious.

"We _have_." replied Anika. Then, she got back onto the original topic. "If you could find two swords, I could teach you how to use one."

"Definitely not," Will cut in.

Anika frowned at him. "Why not? You just don't think I know how to fight properly."

"Partly," Will nodded in agreement. "And because I don't want you cutting each other to pieces."

"We wouldn't do that," Anika stated. "And if I don't teach him, who else will?"

"I can, Anika," replied Will. Anika didn't bother to argue this time. Soon they had found a spare sword, and Will was giving Harry his first sword-fighting lesson, which went surprisingly well. Harry picked up on it fairly quick.

When they had finished, Anika went up to Will again.

"Can_ I_ have a sword now?"

"No." replied Will.

"Why not?" Anika asked.

"You're a girl."

"And we're on a pirate ship." nodded Anika. "Now that we're done stating the obvious, why won't you let me have a sword?"

"Girl's aren't supposed to carry swords." said Will.

Nearby, Elizabeth and Harry, watching from the background, were trying to smother their laughter.

"And girls aren't supposed to be on pirate ships. No one obeys by rules on pirate ships, other than the pirate code… guidelines… rules… whatever it is, it says nothing about girls not being allowed to have swords." said Anika.

"And who did you ask about the guidelines?" Will questioned.

"Mr. Gibbs." lied Anika.

Will's expression clearly stated that she was right.

"So," continued Anika, "About that sword…"

"No." said Will again, not giving up.

But Anika had the same stubbornness. "Why? I already pointed out that it's not against your pirate-guideline-rules, so what's the problem?"

"You're my niece."

"What does _that_ have to do with anything?" Anika blinked. Then, she had an idea, and looked up at him sweetly and innocently. "And do you really want your poor, defenseless niece to go unprotected…?"

"You're still not getting a sword." Will stated.

- - -

**A/N: There may not be another update for a little while, because band camp starts soon. **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. School's started, and if you're in marching band, you have no life during the marching season. Updates may take a while. **

**A few lines in this chapter were taken straight from the book version of At World's End. **

- - -

Anika frowned at Will for a moment, thinking. Then, she smiled as she thought of an idea.

"I challenge you," she said. "To a duel."

Will stared at her for a moment. "No." he stated firmly.

"You're not much of a pirate, turning down a challenge." Anika said, raising an eyebrow. "And it wouldn't be a duel to the _death_. Just until one of us was either disarmed or gave up. If I win, I'm allowed to have a sword. If not, then… I won't."

Will thought about it for a moment, though it was obvious that he still didn't want to agree. He doubted that Anika knew much about sword fighting, no matter what she'd claimed earlier.

"Please?" added Anika sweetly.

Will paused a moment longer, then nodded. "Alright,"

Anika blinked. She had never expected him to agree to a duel; she'd thought that he would either turn her down completely, or just give her a sword. She hadn't thought of him actually accepting her 'challenge'.

"You're serious?" she questioned.

"Of course," Will replied, grabbing a nearby sword and handing it to her.

When Will wasn't looking, Anika glanced at Harry, who was watching, along with most of the crew. He smirked slightly, giving her a look that clearly said 'you got yourself into this'. She frowned at him, and then turned back to Will.

They both looked expectantly toward Elizabeth, who was standing near Harry.

She shook her head slightly. "This is ridiculous." Then, after a moment, she sighed. "Alright. Begin on three. One… two… three…"

To the surprise of the crew – and Anika and Will themselves – they were almost equally matched. Anika's training with Viktor had included a lot of little tricks he'd learned in Durmstrang, which, unlike Hogwarts, taught swordfighting. She didn't use magic, to be fair. She wished she could; it was obvious enough that this was one fight she couldn't win.

Finally, Anika held up her hands in defeat. "I surrender," she said, throwing her sword to the deck. "You win. I won't carry a sword."

She turned, preparing to head down to her cabin.

Will picked up her sword. "Anika, where are you going?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused. "I'm going to my room."

Will paused, then held out the sword for her to take. "This is yours."

Anika stared at him. "What?" she asked. "But… I l-lost…" she stumbled slightly on the word. "This wasn't part of the deal."

"You made a deal with a pirate," Will reminded her. "Deal's can change."

Anika took the sword. "Oh, so _now_ you decide to be a pirate." she said.

- - -

Not much time had passed before they could see a bit of land on the horizon.

"How long do you suppose it will take to actually reach that?" Anika asked, to anyone around her who might have an answer.

"Only a few hours," replied Mr. Gibbs.

Anika looked at Harry, Will, and Elizabeth. "And do we actually have a plan, or is what's-his-name just going to give the map to us?" she questioned.

"Do you honestly expect a _pirate_ to hand over something like that to any random person who happens to sail by?" Harry replied, amused.

"Then what are we going to do?"

That was a good question. There was a moment of silence. Then, Barbossa, who was at the wheel, spoke up. "I think Krum and Swann should come with me, so long's they can keep their mouths shut and let me do the talking."

Anika and Elizabeth scowled at him.

"It would be too obvious," Will disagreed. "He would know that you were only bringing them along so that they could hide weapons. It wouldn't work."

"Then what do _you_ suggest we do?" asked Barbossa.

"Where does Sao Feng keep the maps?" Harry asked.

"A temple of his uncle's," Barbossa said, half-glaring at him. "Why?"

"I say that Will and…" Harry thought for a moment, "…Anika should go to the temple, and try to take the charts. Anika can use her magic to help. And in case they don't manage to _steal_ it, the rest of us will go and meet with Sao Feng, and try convincing him to _give_ the charts to us. Then, one way or the other, we'll probably end up with them."

Anika, Barbossa, Will, and Elizabeth all blinked at him for a moment. They hadn't expected Harry to come up with such a… pirate-like plan. Then again, he _was_ related to Jack. Of course, only Anika knew that…

"I like it," Gibbs finally spoke up, grinning.

- - -

They spent the rest of the afternoon making changes in their plan, until finally they had everything worked out. Then, once they had reached Singapore, Will and Anika set off toward the temple to try stealing the charts.

When they hadn't returned after several hours, the others decided that it was time to begin the second part of the plan.

Elizabeth rowed a boat through the darkness, quietly singing the song of the Brethren Court. When she reached a small dock, she tied her small boat up. A moment later, she caught sight of several members of the East India Trading Company passing by not far away. Elizabeth fell silent, ducking her head and hoping that they wouldn't notice her. Thankfully, they didn't. When they had finally disappeared from sight, she continued with her song.

"_Raise the colors high! Heave ho…" _

"… _thieves and beggars," _a new voice joined in. _"Never say we die." _

Elizabeth stood from her boat as the owner of the voice came out of a shadow. There were two large, armed guards with him.

Elizabeth looked at them for a moment, and then almost sighed in relief. These were the people she had been hoping to find. They could take her to Sao Feng.

"A dangerous song to be singing," said the one in the center ominously, "for any who are ignorant of its meaning." He stepped closer. "Particularly a woman. Particularly a woman alone."

"What makes you think she's alone?" demanded a voice from behind them.

Tai Huang and his two bodyguards spun in surprise. Standing behind them were Harry and Barbossa.

"You protect her?" Tai Huang asked.

"What makes you think she needs protection?" replied Harry. Tai Huang froze. Elizabeth's knife was pressed to his throat.

Barbossa raised an eyebrow, while Harry frowned.

"Your master is expecting us," Barbossa said to Tai Huang, then added, mostly to Elizabeth, "And an unexpected death would cast a slight pall on our meeting."

Elizabeth frowned. Rather reluctantly, she lowered the knife, but kept it ready in her hand.

Tai Huang scowled at her for a moment, before looking at Barbossa.

"You are Captain Barbossa?" he asked.

"Aye," agreed Barbossa. "And this is Elizabeth Swann and Harry Potter. And Sao Feng has promised us safe passage."

Huang nodded. "For as long as it suits him," he said darkly.

After a threatening stare, he turned and began to lead them away while Harry rolled his eyes at the drama. Then, he, Elizabeth, and Barbossa followed.

After only a few moments, Tai Huang abruptly held up his hand to stop them. Everyone froze. A moment of silence later, the sound of boots altered them to the passage of yet more East India Trading Company men. Huang waited until the agents had turned a corner and their footsteps had faded into the distance, and then he signaled the others to follow him, into the mouth of a large sewer pipe.

Not far away, the rest of the crew began their part in the plan.

Tai Huang led Harry, Barbossa, and Elizabeth to what appeared to be a decrepit bathhouse.

"Have we heard anything from Anika and Will?" Elizabeth whispered to Barbossa, tugging on his sleeve.

She hoped Tai Huang and the guards couldn't hear her, and she knew that she shouldn't be risking it, but she was desperate for news. She and Will hadn't been getting along well for a while now, although they had almost, but not quite, forgotten their argument when Anika and Harry showed up.

The 'Captain' shook his head.

"They're both more than capable of taking care of themselves," he said, "Especially that witch."

Harry glared at him. Barbossa continued, pretending not to notice. "You, on the other hand," he said to Elizabeth, "will want to be showing a bit more diffidence than usual."

"He's that terrifying, is he?" questioned Harry doubtfully.

"He's much like myself," replied Barbossa. "Absent my merciful nature and sense of fair play."

Elizabeth shivered. Harry frowned. Barbossa grinned at them.

Tai Huang stepped in front of a door, rapping a series of sharp knocks in a coded signal. A slit in the door slid open and a pair of eyes appeared. The eyes studied them. After a minute, the slit closed and, with the sound of bolts moving and hinges creaking, the door opened.

As Barbossa, Elizabeth, and Harry stepped inside the small entry room, Tai Huang swung around, blocking their path.

"No weapons," he said. "Remove them, please." It was obvious enough that even with the 'please', this was no request. It was an order.

"Of course," Barbossa replied cheerfully. He handed over his pistol and sword, and Elizabeth followed suit. Harry handed over his sword, but kept his wand, which was hidden.

- - -

_Earlier: _

Anika and Will had managed to sneak past the guards patrolling around the temple of Sao Feng's uncle and made their way inside.

The building was much, much larger than they had planned, and they only had a vague idea of where the charts might be hidden.

They made their way as quietly and quickly as possible through the halls and rooms, toward the place that Barbossa had said the charts might be. Anika was curious about how _he _would know where the charts were, but she hadn't asked.

She and Will hadn't been in the temple long before she realized that something wasn't right.

It took her a moment, but then she recognized the sound of footsteps coming toward them.

Anika and Will shared a mildly alarmed look. According to Barbossa, there weren't guards inside the temple – he had said they would be safe if they could just get inside. Obviously, he'd been wrong.

Anika glanced around. There was nowhere to hide in the narrow hall… but there was a door, not far away.

She quickly gestured to Will and pointed at the door.

He nodded, and they both headed toward the door. The footsteps were much closer now – there seemed to be around three guards headed toward them, and they were coming fast.

Will reached the door a few moments before Anika, and tried to open it. It was unlocked, but he knew that this might be his only chance to start his _own_ plan: To get captured and taken to Sao Feng, in order to try making a deal with him without the others stopping him.

Will cast a falsely panicked glance at Anika.

"It's locked!" he whispered, pulling and pushing on the door again.

Anika glanced over her shoulder. It sounded like the perfectly timed footsteps of the guards were moments away from rounding the corner and spotting them.

She cursed under her breath, and it was a mark of how serious the situation seemed that Will didn't bother commenting on it or even raise an eyebrow. Anika remembered her wand, and was about to snatch it – when the guards came around the corner and spotted them. She knew that it looked as if they were trying to break in to the locked room… which was basically correct.

"Halt!" shouted one guard, as the three rushed forward to surround Will and Anika, weapons drawn.

The guards seemed just as shocked to catch Anika and Will as Anika and Will themselves were at being caught.

Finally, one of the guards – apparently the leader – spoke.

"What are you doing here? Who are you?"

They had both agreed that, if they were captured, they wouldn't reveal anything to Sao Feng or anyone working for him. Will and his niece shared a look, then shook their heads, refusing to answer the questions.

The guards glared threateningly at them.

Without another word, two of the guards, holding swords, got behind Anika and Will. The other remained in front, and they were forced to follow him.

Wherever they were going, it seemed to be quite secret. In order to get there, they had to walk for what felt like miles, and, at one point, they even had to wade through deep, murky water that went all the way up to Anika's neck.

As they continued walking, Anika became aware of the fact that her now soaking wet shirt was clinging very tightly to her, plainly revealing the shapes of the weapons that were hidden in her vest. Her eyes widened, and she tugged on the fabric. It hung loosely, for a moment. Then, it went back to being almost skin tight.

Anika continued tugging, hoping that the guards would not notice her odd behavior.

Thankfully, her long, equally soaked hair covered her back, hiding the weapons there. At least that made her job a bit easier.

The guards didn't pick up on her strange actions, thank Merlin, and soon they arrived outside what appeared to be some sort of bathhouse.

Then, the guard leading them stopped quite suddenly and turned to face his captives, blocking them from going any further.

"Remove any weapons you happen to have." he ordered, glaring and gesturing to a low table to set them on.

Will silently removed his sword, and Anika hesitated for a moment, before doing the same, along with her small dagger.

The guard continued glaring, mostly at Anika, and led them inside.

They walked through a maze of leaky pipes and past rows of tubs. There were a lot more guards here, all of which seemed to be dressed alike, had swords, and looked at them suspiciously.

They came to a stop before the man who Anika guessed was Sao Feng. She tugged on her shirt again.

He looked at their guards. "Did you remove their weapons?"

"Yes," answered the one Anika guessed was the leader of the group.

She frowned, and turned halfway to look behind them, trying to see if the guards still had their swords at the ready. AS she did, her shirt tightened once again, and before Anika could loosen it, Sao Feng noticed.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at the very obviously-shaped lumps. Then, he looked pointedly at the guards.

"I thought you said you got all of the weapons?" he questioned.

The guards had noticed the bumps too. "We thought so," one stated.

Before Anika knew what was happening, another guard had grabbed a knife and held it to her throat. She honestly thought he was going to kill her, but he only sliced open her shirt, revealing the vest and the dozens of deadly weapons hidden there.

Before she could stop them, two others moved forward, and were snatching the knives and pistols from the holsters and tossing them into a pile upon the floor. She felt extremely uncomfortable, but Anika knew that it was best to hold still and not try to protest. She could see the eyes of everyone in the room growing wider as more and more weapons were piled on the ground.

When they were finally done, even she was surprised by the large pile at her feet. Will was giving her a _'you'll be explaining this later_' look that bordered on being slightly disturbed.

Sao Feng turned to the guards. "That must be a hundred pounds of weapons," he said. "How could you miss it?"

The three guards who had caught and escorted Will and Anika shared an uncomfortable look.

"She's… so small," began one, "And the shirt was so loose…"

Sao Feng didn't look pleased.

"It's remarkable that she didn't sink when we crossed the river," said another.

- - -

**A/N: Sorry it's so short but we wanted to update while we had the chance. **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Having no life doesn't help with writing, and in band you have no life. If my football team hadn't made playoffs, my life would have started up again on November fourth. **

**This chapter focuses a bit on Anika, mostly more about her parents. And, once again, we had to take some PotC lines directly from the book. **

- - -

There was silence in the room for a moment as they all stared at the pile of weapons at Anika's feet.

Then, Sao Feng gave a furious glare at the two guards who had allowed Anika to come in with so many hidden weapons.

"I will deal with the two of you later. For now, tie them up," he gestured to Will and Anika.

A few moments later, both of the prisoners were tied up. Her wrists were bound to some sort of pole over her shoulders, so tightly that Anika knew there was no way she'd be able to use magic to get out of this. At least, not without some time.

And unfortunately, they had no time. A few seconds after the guards finished tying them up, another guard entered the room.

"Captain," he said hurriedly, "Barbossa and the others are on their way."

Sao Feng nodded his thanks, then gave a gesture to the other guards, who were still holding Will and Anika.

"Hide them." he ordered.

Anika wasn't sure what happened next. All she knew was that one moment she was standing there, staring at Sao Feng, and the next, she felt herself be lifted up and pushed into a large wooden tub of water. Her head was shoved under, out of sight.

But at least she knew that Harry was coming. He could help her… she just had to find a way to let him know where she was.

- - -

After passing their weapons to the guard at the door, Tai Huang led Barbossa, Harry, and Elizabeth into the room beyond, which was much cleaner and warmer than the rest.

Standing there was Sao Feng, Pirate Lord of Singapore, along with several more guards, all of whom were armed.

Harry saw Elizabeth and Barbossa studying the guards, assessing their situation, but suddenly he couldn't focus on what was going on. The moment he'd stepped into the room, he was hit with a feeling of pure dread. He had no idea why, but he had a feeling that someone he knew, someone he was very close with, was in danger and needed his help. But the only other person in the room that he cared anything about was Elizabeth, and she was fine.

Part of his mind said it was Anika who needed help, but she wasn't here. She was with Will. She was probably fine…

Under water, Anika detected that thought and frowned.

Different pairs of Elementals had different powers. There were the basics; water, fire, earth, and air, but there were also extra things, like wandless magic. Some rare Elementals had a way of sensing when each other was in danger. The more they practiced, the stronger it became. Until now, she hadn't been sure if she and Harry had that power, since it wouldn't show up until it was needed.

Now, she concentrated hard on getting a message to him, to tell him that she was _not_ fine, as he thought.

Harry frowned. He knew, somehow, that he was wrong. Anika _was_ here somewhere, and she needed his help. But where was she?

Meanwhile, Sao Feng didn't seem to have noticed their presence… or he was deliberately ignoring them. Finally, Barbossa seemed to realize that it was up to him to speak first.

"Captain Sao Feng," he said smoothly. "Thank you for granting us this audience."

Sao Feng looked up, as if he had just spotted them. "Captain Barbossa," he said. "Welcome to Singapore. I understand that you have a request to make of me…?"

"And a proposal to make to you," Barbossa replied. "I've a venture underway, and I find myself in need of a ship and a crew."

Sao Feng looked at Barbossa, Harry, and Elizabeth with a sly smile. "And you consider me worthy of such an honor? A ship and crew… That's an odd coincidence."

"Because you happen to have a ship and a crew you don't need?" questioned Elizabeth doubtfully.

Barbossa gave her a warning glance, but Sao Feng only smiled wider.

"No," he said. "Because earlier this very evening, not far from here, two thieves were discovered breaking into my most revered uncle's temple, trying to make off with these…" He crossed the room to an old man in long robes, standing silently in the corner, holding a set of ancient charts.

The Pirate Lord grabbed them and held them up for the others to see.

"Navigational charts," he said, watching their expressions carefully for a reaction. "The route to the Farthest Gate. Wouldn't it be amazing if this venture of yours took you to the world beyond this one?"

Before Barbossa could reply, there were several thuds. He, Harry, Elizabeth, Sao Feng, and the guards turned to see that a wooden pole resting on top of one tub of water was jerking and twitching, completely on its own.

The guard standing beside the tub glanced at it in annoyance and kicked it swiftly. The thudding stopped.

Inside the tank, the kick had given Anika an idea. She hadn't thought of using her feet to get out…

She began kicking the wood of the tub violently, jerking her hands and trying to get the ropes on her wrists loose.

Harry and the others watched in disbelief.

The boards that made up the tub began to bulge where she kicked them, and water started to leak out.

Sao Feng realized that Anika would get out, one way or the other, and there was no point in keeping her in there any longer. He gave an impatient gesture to the guard by the tub, and he pulled Anika from under the water.

Soaking wet, she glared at Sao Feng. He glared back.

"I thought I told you to be quiet." he said coldly.

"You never said that." said Anika, furious.

"It was understood." he said.

"Things unsaid are _not_ understood." stated Anika. "I'm talking about the real world."

Sao Feng didn't reply. Instead, he frowned for a moment as though considering something before turning to one of his assistants.

"She could be her daughter, couldn't she?" he asked, quietly enough that none of the others could hear.

The assistant blinked. "What do you mean, Captain?"

"Sarabeth…"

His assistant turned wide eyes on Anika and stared for a moment, then turned back to Sao Feng.

"She _looks_ like her… and she's the right age. She definitely acts like her."

Sao Feng nodded. He returned his attention to his guests, but he was still looking oddly at Anika, who frowned.

She pointed to the tub that was next to hers. "He's not going to last much longer down there, you know."

It was true; Will had been down there for an awfully long time now. The others had completely forgotten about him, and if they left him too much longer, he'd probably drown.

Sao Feng gestured, and one of the guards pulled Will out of the bucket. He was soaking wet and gasping for air.

"Took you long enough," he couldn't help but mutter, once he'd gotten his breathe back.

Seeing the nearest guard glaring at Will in a rather menacing way, Harry spoke up. "So, about that deal?"

"What do you have in mind?" asked Sao Fang.

"Well, you give us the charts, a ship and a crew…" Harry began; he knew that Anika would jump in with more ideas.

"And you may get your charts, ship and crew back if they survive," she completed.

"And if they don't?" Sao Fang questioned.

Anika thought for a second, and everyone wondered what she was going to say to that.

It was at that moment that she realized what Will had been up to all along. Her eyes widened, and she turned to glare at him in disbelief, her look saying clearly: _you son of a bastard._

Sao Feng didn't notice; he was still looking at her expectantly.

"If they don't survive… I will pay you back." Anika finally said.

"How?" Sao Fang still looked suspicious.

"With gold," said Anika flatly. She hoped that he would agree without too much trouble – she was getting tired of negotiating. She wondered why Barbossa hadn't stepped in yet.

Sao Feng looked from Anika to Harry, then at Elizabeth, Will, and Barbossa. His expression was lightly curious, but underneath it was clear that he didn't like the way this was headed. "Why is it that you need to reach Davy Jones's Locker at all?"

"To _rescue_ someone," Anika said, as if it was stupid that he couldn't figure it out on his own. She put one hand on her hip and gestured with the other as she spoke.

Sao Feng didn't give up. "And that person would be?"

"Jack Sparrow," said Harry. Anika glanced at him; they both knew that Barbossa didn't want them to tell Feng anything about Jack.

Sao Feng's expression turned to fury. "There is no deal," he said harshly. "The only reason I would want Jack Sparrow returned from the Locker would be to send him back myself!"

Anika raised an eyebrow. "You want to free this… Calypso person, right?"

"Yes," scowled Feng. "But I would rather –"

"You and the other Pirate Lords need Jack's piece of eight. You have to have all nine Pirate Lords to free her, don't you?" interrupted Anika calmly. Mostly, she was going out on a limb here; she had no idea if they really needed all nine Pirate Lords. She wasn't even sure of who 'Calypso' might be.

Sao Feng fell silent. He stared at her for a moment.

"Sarabeth," he said quietly.

"Who the hell is Sarabeth?" Anika demanded, beginning to feel uneasy. The way he was looking at her made her feel like he knew something she didn't, something important. She didn't miss how several of the guards exchanged looks at the name, either. Just what was going on?

He ignored her question and asked one of his own. "What is your last name, girl?"

"Who's Sarabeth?" asked Anika again.

"If you will tell me your name, I'll tell you who she is."

Harry, Barbossa, Will, and Elizabeth watched in confusion as Anika scowled. "Fine," she said. "I'm Anika Krum. Now what the bloody hell are you talking about?"

Feng smiled. "Anika," he said. "I knew it. But your name can't be Krum," seeing her confused expression, he continued. "I knew your parents, you see. Sarabeth was your mother; I'm surprised that you've never heard of her."

As she tried to take this in, Anika blinked several times, and had to lean against a nearby barrel to keep herself standing.

Sao Feng had to be lying. There was no way he could have known her parents – what would a Pureblooded witch and wizard have to do with a Muggle Pirate Lord? The thought was ridiculous. But the pirate before her didn't _look_ as if he was lying. When he'd spoken, his expression was honest, although now he was looking at her in a calculating way that she didn't like one bit.

Before she had time to recover from his first statement, Sao Feng continued speaking, and as he did so, Anika's entire world seemed to spin.

"I was also there when you were born – "

Anika's knees nearly gave way, and she stumbled a bit. She couldn't believe what she was hearing – that the vile pirate she'd been negotiating and bargaining with, a man she was beginning to really dislike, had known her mother and father. He'd known them well enough to recognize her, just because she looked like her mother. And now this, that her parents had trusted him enough to allow him around when she was born.

"This is impossible!" Anika exclaimed. She'd meant to sound angry, but it came out sounding strangled. "You can't have known my mum and dad! They were… they never… No way."

"I did know them, and so did a lot of other people in this room. They were very well-known in the pirate world. They had an incredible amount of luck; your mother, especially, was very talented. The first time I met her, she paid me counterfeit coins. When I realized what she'd done, my crew and I went after your father's ship for revenge. It was strange – we weren't in range to fire our cannons, but theirs reached us without a problem. I still don't understand how they could have done so."

Anika's face fell. Any last hopes she'd had about Sao Feng lying had just gone out the window, and she could see from the look on Harry's face that he had realized the same thing.

Sao Feng clearly didn't know about the existence of witches and wizards, and even if he could be lying about her parents, it was unlikely that he would come up with things like mysteriously powerful cannons to add to the story. And if the cannons were real, the only explanation was that they'd been enchanted – by a witch or wizard, most likely.

So it was true. Sao Feng really had known her mother and father, and her mother and father really had been pirates.

Feng watched as Anika tried to come to grips with what she'd just learned.

Inside, he was quite pleased. He had a very good reason for revealing these things; namely, it was a good way of distracting her from the deal she'd been about to force him into.

He could understand the girl's reasoning, but he wished to think this over before agreeing to anything. Especially something like bringing Jack Sparrow, of all people, back to life. It might be necessary in order to restore Calypso's power, but it wasn't something he wanted any part in, if he could help it. The longer Anika and the others were distracted from their deal, the longer he had to think things over.

As he was thinking this over, Barbossa, Elizabeth, and Will looked at Anika and Harry in confusion. The Elemental and Elementess were looking at each other. Anika's eyebrows rose slightly, and Harry shook his head. Anika titled her head to the side. Harry shrugged.

It was like they were having some sort of silent conversation. Will and Elizabeth exchanged a look and shrugged, while Barbossa just glared at the witch and wizard in annoyance. Neither of them noticed.

_He's telling you this to distract you, _Harry thought.

Anika nodded. _Yes, I know… I wish it wasn't true, but I doubt even someone like Sao Feng could make up something like that. _

A moment later, the two of them realized what they were doing. They were hearing each other's voices, sounding perfectly normal – but neither of them had spoken out loud. They'd been talking to each other entirely in their heads.

Harry's eyes widened, and he and Anika stared at each other in slight alarm. But before they could make any sense of what they'd been doing, they were interrupted.

"I remember the night you and your sister were born," Sao Feng continued to Anika. "There was a violent storm – otherwise, you would probably have been born aboard the ship. Instead, you were born here, on land."

That caught Anika's attention. "When you say 'here'… you don't mean…"

"You were born here in Singapore; not far from this very building, in fact. Your sister was born first, and it was around the time you were born when one of our guards informed me of something strange outside. I went to check – it was one of the oddest things I have ever witnessed. It was pouring rain, and the sky was covered by dark clouds… all but one patch, where the full moon shone down. The clouds almost seemed to go around it. It was incredibly large, and a bright orange color. But the light that came from it had a blue-white glow."

"It almost seemed magical. And the next day, when we left the building, we found that the grass outside, which had been dead and brown, was now bright green and had grown quite a lot over night. The shoreline of the ocean had retreated ten feet."

Anika was giving the story her complete attention – at least on the outside. She _was_ interested, but most of her mind was focused on thinking of the deal to get the charts. She wouldn't let Sao Feng distract her. In fact, she might be able to turn this situation around quite nicely.

When the Pirate Lord fell silent, Anika nodded.

"That's nice to know," she said. "Now, about our deal? Do you agree, or not?"

Sao Feng blinked.

He was surprised – no, more than that. So the girl hadn't been distracted at all by what he'd told her. Instead, _he'd_ been the one to get caught up in it, in the end.

"I know you were trying to get my attention onto something other than our deal," said Anika in explanation. "And it worked at first. Can we have your bloody charts or not? The sooner we leave, the sooner we can finish this, after all."

Without him noticing, she used her wandless magic to Summon one of the daggers from the pile still on the floor as she spoke, and quickly concealed it. It seemed to Sao Feng and his guards that her right arm was held loosely at her side. Really, she was pressing the dagger tightly into the loose fabric of her trousers and shirt, to hide it. The cold blade pressed against her arm.

There were no guards behind her, but that was where Harry and the others stood. Barbossa, Will, and Elizabeth had their attention fixed on Sao Feng, but she knew that Harry hadn't missed her Summoning Charm. She put the hand holding the dagger behind her back, allowing him to glimpse it.

Harry would have smiled, but that would give them away, so he kept his face blank. But Anika knew he understood.

"Well?" Elizabeth broke the silence, glaring at Sao Feng.

Sao Feng scowled. He knew he'd been tricked, somehow, but he couldn't quite wrap his mind around how it had happened.

"Fine, then," he said darkly. "It seems I have no choice but to agree."

Anika smiled.

"Good choice," she said, revealing the dagger in her hand.

Sao Feng looked at it in disbelief. He furiously rounded on his guards. "When did she pick that up?! Why didn't you watch her properly?"

"W-We didn't see…" stuttered one guard.

Captain Sao Feng was not happy.

- - -

Anika was bored. There wasn't much to do on board a ship, aside from work. She had nothing to do, so she was sitting with her legs dangling over the edge of the ship, leaning on the rail.

_Harry, what are you doing?_

Part of her didn't expect to hear a reply; she still wasn't certain of what it was they'd done while in Sao Feng's bathhouse. It could have been a one-time thing, an accident, possibly caused by a certain type of magical currant or something similar. But it turned out that wasn't the case.

_Working_, thought Harry, as though it should have been obvious.

_Working on what?_ questioned Anika, staring up at the cloudless blue sky.

They had left Singapore several hours before, when the sun hadn't even risen yet, and the crew had set straight to work on preparing everything for the journey to World's End, which wasn't going to be easy. She wondered just how much they had to do.

_We're checking and reloading the cannons, _replied Harry.

Anika sat up straight, a bit startled. _Cannons? What for? We're not going to be attacked, are we?_

_I doubt it. But they're kept ready, just in case. _

Anika sighed. _I'm bored, _she thought after a pause. _Once you're done, do you think you'll have some free time? We should really be practicing with our Elemental powers more often…_

_We're practicing now, aren't we? _Harry pointed out.

Anika rolled her eyes, grinning slightly. _You know what I mean. It's not the same as –_

Her thought cut off, causing Harry to frown. The silence remained, but he could feel flashes of what he knew were Anika's emotions. She was suddenly filled with panic, confused and scared. But there was nothing frightening up on the deck – someone would have shouted if there was anything to be concerned about. But Anika was terrified.

Harry looked at Will, who was working nearby.

"Something wrong?" he asked, noticing the look on Harry's face.

"I think so. I'm going to check on Anika."

When Harry reached Anika, she was staring out at the ocean, her face pale. She looked worried.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

Anika jumped. She'd been so busy thinking that she hadn't noticed him there.

"I don't know," she admitted. "But… I don't know… I just saw something, like a daydream, only it seemed very real. I was… I was a _Muggle, _Harry! Our magic wasn't working at all – and then I couldn't see, or hear, or speak. I was totally helpless, and neither of us had any magic... Then I felt like I was falling, and hit water. Someone dragged me onto a beach of some sort, but I couldn't see…"

She looked close to tears.

"Well," said Harry, trying to think of something that might comfort her. "You probably just fell asleep for a moment, or you've been out here staring at the sun for too long..."

Anika shook her head. "It seemed so real."

- - -

Anika continued sitting in her spot near the bow, worrying over what she'd seen. Harry stayed with her, and they sat leaning against the rail for a long time.

As the time passed, their surroundings changed. Soon, the air was getting colder by the moment, and they could spot large chunks of ice floating in the water. The further they traveled, the larger the icebergs seemed to get. In a flash of flames, Harry melted one, just for fun; Anika built it back up again using her water power, and they amused themselves by playing with the ice for a while.

Then, as the afternoon grew darker, the crew's work slowed down. Most of them ended up in the crew's quarters below deck, huddling up with as many blankets and bits of spare clothing as possible.

Harry, Anika, Will, Elizabeth, and a few other crewmembers remained on the deck. All of them shivered violently, except for Anika, who found the cold refreshing.

"Honestly," she said. "It isn't _that_ bad."

"So says the Elemental who can control ice," muttered Harry. "It's _freezing _out here!"

"Well, you're the fire Elemental; you should be warm," Anika shot back.

Harry scowled at her jokingly and didn't bother to reply.

Anika looked up at the sky. It was covered in fluffy, deep gray clouds. She stared up at them for a moment, then turned to the others. "I think it's going to snow."

"Great," said Harry. Anika looked up at the clouds again and, sure enough, snowflakes began to fall a moment later, thick and fast.

Using magic, Anika made a few snowflakes in her hand, grinning widely, and tossed them at Harry. "If you're all so cold, why don't you just make a fire for us?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You mean you _want _me to set the ship on fire?"

"_No_." said Anika. "Just use magic to fireproof an empty box or something like that."

So they soon had a warm fire going in an empty crate, and they, along with a few of the crew who came up from below, clustered around it to keep warm, as they sailed nearer and nearer to the entrance of Davy Jones's Locker.

- - -

Later that night, Anika and Elizabeth were standing near the railing, looking out at the water around them, which was eerily smooth and reflected the stars. Anika wondered if they were inside Jones's Locker yet. But surely they'd know when they crossed the line…

Anika yawned. She was incredibly tired. Perhaps she would just go down to bed and use a Warming Charm so she wouldn't freeze.

_Tired?_ Harry asked her.

Anika nodded, though Harry, who was at the other end of the ship, couldn't see her. _Yes, I am. I think I'm just going to go down to bed. _

She paused for a moment, then asked, _Do you hear that? _

She looked down to the stern of the ship, where Harry was. He was frowning, and he'd clearly heard the mysterious sound as well. _It sounds like water,_ he commented.

It was a distant rushing sound, but it seemed to be getting louder every moment.

Anika could see Elizabeth beginning to frown, too. She and Harry watched as Will paused and listened hard for a moment. Then, his expression changed to alarm, and he hurried to the bow. Sensing that something was wrong, the Elementals quickly joined him.

"A waterfall!" exclaimed Anika, horrified by the huge line of white foam on the horizon that marked the place where the earth dropped away. It stretched as far as they could see, and the sound was getting louder.

"_Waterfall!"_ shouted Will, and the crewmembers on the deck ran to the rail, looking out at the rushing water. Then, they scrambled to turn the ship, or drop the anchor, or anything else they could do to keep from going over the edge. Crewmembers shouted, some ran below deck to wake the others, and Barbossa, who was at the wheel, began shouting orders.

Anika and Harry stared in horror at the waterfall's edge, which was rapidly coming closer.

Then, Harry had an idea.

"Anika," he shouted over the roar of the water, "Stop the ship!"

Anika tore her eyes away from the sight before her and threw out her hands, trying to use either wandless magic or her water powers to halt the ship. Harry tried the same with air.

They concentrated as hard as possible in the mad rush of people hurrying around the deck.

After a few moments, however, their eyes met, wide with alarm.

"Harry," said Anika frantically, "I can't! My powers – they won't work! I can't do _anything_!"

Harry shook his head. "I can't, either…"

"What do you think… it…" Anika trailed off, grabbing her throat in horror. When she'd spoken, her voice was quiet and oddly scratchy, and as she continued, it grew worse. By the time she stopped talking,. her voice didn't work at all, and she mouthed the words in confusion.

"Anika?" asked Harry, concerned. "Are you all right?"

Anika stopped mouthing silent words and stared at him. After a moment, she pointed at her ear and shook her head.

_I can't hear you!_

And, as Harry watched in horror, her blue eyes clouded over. Terrified, Anika's hands shot to her face. She knew that her eyes were open, but she couldn't see a thing. Everything had gone black.

_Harry, I can't see!_

"We're going over!" shouted Barbossa from the wheel, when the ship was seconds away from the edge of the rushing waterfall.

Anika felt her heart racing. She couldn't hear, couldn't see, and couldn't speak. All she could do was hold on to the rail. And, as she did so, wondering how close to the waterfall they were, she realized something.

This was what she'd seen earlier; it had to be.

_Harry?_

_Anika?_

_Harry, this is what I saw… _

- - -

**A/N: The connection between Anika and Harry will be explained more later. It's like a modern-day cell-phone, in some ways. Sometimes it works perfectly, and other times they get 'dropped calls'. **


	14. Chapter 14

- - -

Soaked and somewhat bruised, the crew slowly made their way out of the water in twos and threes, onto dry land. People coughed, rung water out of their clothes, and studied the landscape before them, looking out at what appeared to be an endless, bone-dry desert. A few of the pirates cursed as they realized that they now had no way to get back out of the Locker; the only things left of their ship were bits of wood and scrapes of sails, which were washing up along the beach.

Elizabeth squeezed a large amount of water from her hair, while Will took Anika by the arm and guided her out of the water. She was unusually pale, and her expression was somewhere between confused and horrified. 

"Is something wrong?" Will questioned, concerned. 

Anika didn't reply. She continued looking straight ahead; in fact, she didn't seem to notice him at all. After a moment, she reached down and grabbed a handful of sand, wondering why her Earth element wouldn't work now that they were inside the Locker. Of course, it wasn't just Elemental powers that were affected; she couldn't use any magic at all... But _why?_ And why were her senses gone? 

Then, something else occurred to her. 

Was this _permanent_? Could she be stuck like this forever? 

Will and Elizabeth watched in confusion as her expression changed to one of pure, total dread. A horrible suspicion began to form in Will's mind. Frowning, he waved a hand back and forth in front of her face. For several moments, Anika showed no reaction at all; her eyes remained gazing blankly straight ahead, and he and Elizabeth both became aware of how clouded they were. Then, unexpectedly, Anika's hand shot out and caught his wrist in a death grip.

"Anika?" asked Elizabeth, who, with a sense of dawning horror, realized that her younger friend suddenly couldn't see a thing. "What on earth happened?"

Anika didn't turn away from Will. Her newly discovered uncle looked at her closely, trying to understand what might be wrong. But he noticed something else instead. 

"Elizabeth?" asked Will slowly, his worry for Anika momentarily forgotten.

"Yes?"

Will looked suspicious. "What do those bumps look like to you?"

Elizabeth to a closer look at Anika, and sure enough, the outlines of the weapons hidden in her vest were easy to see. At least half a dozen pistols and daggers were clearly stashed their, along with other, strangely shaped bumps that were harder to identify. Will began to open Anika's shirt, to see exactly what kind of weapons she had hidden underneath. 

Immediately, instinct kicked in, and Anika's hands were around Will's throat. For all she knew he could be a crewmember trying to take advantage of her. She began to squeeze his neck tightly. 

"Anika, stop, it's me," choked Will, whose air was slowly but surely being cut off.

Anika froze. Then she frowned, pressing her hand closer to his throat. She'd felt some sort of vibration there when he spoke, she could almost make out the words, even. It was strange to _feel_ someone speak rather than hear it aloud. 

"Anika?" Will asked again. He wondered if she would let go anytime soon. 

Anika didn't move for several moments. Then: "_Will?_" she mouthed. 

Will's eyes widened. "Can you hear me?" he asked, hopeful. Anika paused for a moment to guess what he was saying, then shook her head. She wasn't sure of how to explain what she was doing, but she knew she wasn't hearing it out loud. 

She felt Will's hands return to her shirt, to open it up and see the weapons in her vest. Anika's grip automatically began to tighten around his neck again, but Elizabeth saw what she was doing and grabbed her wrist to stop her. Anika recognized Elizabeth's hands, they were thinner and a bit softer than any of the pirates could ever have. When she paused and stopped choking Will, Elizabeth released her wrist, put her hands on either side of Anika's head, and gently shook it back and forth in a no gesture. 

So, Anika stood still while Will opened her shirt and revealed the weapons vest beneath it. There were knives and pistols tucked in to every available place, along with her wand, which was in a holster within easy reach of her hand. There were also small potions bottles in cushioned pouches here and there. All in all, it was quite impressive... or disturbing. 

Will stared for a moment. Then, he turned to his fiancé. 

"I saw the weapons she brought into Singapore," he said. "I wondered where she got them." He had caught sight of Elizabeth's slightly guilty look. 

"We were never given anything to defend ourselves with, so she used magic to multiply some of the crew's things." she confessed.

Will's eyebrows rose. One of these days he was going to sit down with Anika and ask her to explain just how much she and Harry could do with magic. Perhaps then he wouldn't be taken by surprise like this quite so often. 

"She's been carrying them around all this time?" he asked.

Elizabeth nodded. "We should probably take them away," she realized. "In this state, she might accidentally hurt herself."

That reminded Will of what his niece was currently going through, and he felt his alarm return. For a short time, he'd been distracted by the knowledge that Anika was more well-armed than half the crew put together.

"How could her sight disappear like that?" he wondered. "And her hearing? Just before we went over the waterfall, she was all right"

"The Locker targets the weakest of those who are not meant to be here," said Tia Dalma unexpectedly.

Will and Elizabeth tried not to jump; they hadn't noticed her come up behind them, and turned to face her with frowns. Both of them were wondering if perhaps she knew more about Davy Jones's Locker than she had originally revealed. She didn't seem at all surprised by Anika's current state.

"She may be small, but she's not exactly weak," pointed out Elizabeth, knowing that Anika would _hate_ being called weak and feeling the need to speak up on her behalf.

Tia Dalma didn't look at the two of them. Her eyes on Anika, she replied, "She is both the youngest and the smallest, but also one of the most powerful.

Anika, of course, heard none of this. She was beginning to calm down. What had caused her current condition was a mystery, but she realized that having a panic attack over it would only make things that much worse. There was nothing she could do at the moment. Once she had time, she could think back over what she'd learned at Durmstrang, along with what she knew about the Locker, and possibly come up with a spell or potion to fix this. But now wasn't the time, because she had just become aware of something else. 

Will and Elizabeth were here, she knew. But where was Harry?

Thankfully, it was around that time that he came walking up the beach toward them, making Elizabeth and Will look up in surprise. 

"Got washed downstream a bit," he explained to them, then looked at his girlfriend and saw her clouded eyes and blank expression. "What happened?" 

Elizabeth shook her head. "I was hoping you might be able to explain it. She was like this when Will pulled her out of the water, and then..." She looked toward the spot Tia Dalma had stood, but she had mysteriously vanished. "Well, Tia Dalma said that the Locker targeted her because she is the weakest."

"Anika's not really 'weak'. You should see her hit a Bludger," remarked Harry. "But I suppose it makes sense that the Locker would go after one of us. After all, we're not supposed to be in here."

Will nodded. "Tia Dalma said the same thing." 

"I don't entirely understand," said Elizabeth with a frown. She was surprisingly unaffected by the idea of witches and wizards, but the idea of a _place_ being able to use magic on a person confused her a bit. "Are you saying that the Locker... it has a mind of its own? It can target us however it wishes?"

Harry thought about that for a moment. "I don't know. My friend Hermione probably would."

Before they could discuss it further, they were interrupted. While they had been busy talking, Barbossa had assembled the still-dripping pirates into a group nearby, and was studying the area around them. There wasn't much to see, desert on one horizon, water on the other.

"We follow the shoreline," the Captain declared after a moment.

Five minutes of walking through the desert later, Pintel and Ragetti both stopped short. When everyone else turned to stare in confusion, the one-eyed pirate pointed to a hill of sand on the horizon.

"What's that?"

The pirates turned. There was something black coming over the hill, rapidly getting larger.

"It looks like a sail…" Harry commented.

The group stood still, watching as the thing came closer and closer. "It _is_ a sail," said Elizabeth. Astounded, they stared as the sail came over the horizon, revealing the rest of the ship, which sailed over the sand toward them. As it got closer, they could see that it wasn't actually sailing; hundreds of crabs crawled along beneath it, propelling the ship along.

It 'sailed' right across the desert and into the sea. Harry noticed Anika turning her head around in confusion, probably wondering why they'd stopped walking. He grabbed her hand to reassure her, and watched as a pirate aboard the ship climbed into a longboat and headed back toward the shore.

As soon as he stepped out of the boat, the other pirates rushed down toward the shore. Will, Elizabeth, and Gibbs were grinning, along with the others. Even Barbossa cracked a smile.

"I'm so sorry," Harry heard Elizabeth say in a low tone. "So glad you're all right…"

"Contrition!" said Jack, apparently not accepting the apology. "Very becoming on you. Are you an aspect of my sun-addled brain? Were you killed by the Kraken? Or something else?" Then, seeing Tia Dalma, he stepped forward. "Tia Dalma, out and about! You add an agreeable sense of the macabre to any delirium –"

Harry was beginning to wonder if his long-lost cousin might be a bit mad.

"We're not a hallucination, Jack," said Barbossa. "We come to rescue you."

"Did you now?" Jack said brightly. "How kind. But it would seem as I posses a ship and you don't, _you_ would be the ones in need of rescuing." He waved a hand casually. "Not sure as I'm in the mood."

"Jack, listen," Will said urgently. "Cutler Beckett has the heart of Davy Jones. He controls the Flying Dutchman."

"He's taking over the seas!" Elizabeth added.

"The song has been sung. The Brethren Court is called," stated Tia Dalma.

"And you need a crew," said Will, indicating the pirates around him.

Jack studied them with narrowed eyes. He strolled past Will, Barbossa, Pintel, Elizabeth, and Tia Dalma, eyeing them one by one. "Why should I sail with any of you?" he asked. "Four of you have tried to kill me in the past," he stopped in front of Elizabeth and looked her right in the eye. "One of you succeeded."

Everyone looked at Elizabeth with surprise. Jack noticed.

"She hasn't told you? Then you'll have plenty to talk about while you're here." He turned to Tia Dalma and paused. "All right, you're in. He continued down the crew. "Gibbs, you can come. Marty, Cotton, all right. Cotton's parrot, I'm a little iffy, but you're a team –" HE did not include Elizabeth, Will, or Barbossa. He stopped in front of Tai Huang.

"And you are?"

"Tai Huang," said the tall pirate with calm authority. He nodded toward the Singapore pirates who had sailed with him. "These are my men."

"Where do your allegiances lie?" 

"With the highest bidder," Tai Huang answered.

"I have a ship," Jack offered.

"That makes you the highest bidder."

With a satisfied nod, Jack waved to Tai Huang's men, indicating that they could board the Pearl. They and the other pirates began splashing into the water, swimming out to the ship and swarming up ropes and onto the deck.

Then, Jack turned to Harry and Anika. "And who are you?"

"Harry Potter." said Harry.

Jack frowned. "Doesn't ring a bell, mate."

"He's your cousin!" Gibbs said brightly.

"I don't have a cousin."

Harry frowned. "Does the name Evans ring a bell? Lily Evans?"

Jack's expression changed. "Oh! You'd be cousin Lily's son, then? Haven't seen her in years –how _is_ she?"

Harry figured it would be best to just get this out of the way. There wasn't time for a detailed explanation, so he simply said, "Dead. She was killed sixteen years ago."

His cousin's smile disappeared. "Ah," said Jack. Then, he looked at Anika, studying her blank expression and milky eyes. "And she is…?"

"My girlfriend, Anika Krum," said Harry. "She was fine until we came into the Locker."

Jack raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. "All right, you can come. _Her_ I'm not so sure about…"

"I can't leave Anika behind."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Then your little girlfriend can come too." He looked at Elizabeth, Will, and Barbossa. "As for you lot –"

"If Anika goes, I go," Will said quickly. "And if I go, Elizabeth is coming with me."

"Anika's Will's niece," said Harry, when Jack looked confused.

"And _I_ happen to have the charts to get us out of here, Jack," said Barbossa smugly.

The pirate sighed. "All aboard, then."

- - -

**A/N:****Really sorry this took such a long time, and that it's so short! School's been insanely busy lately, and we haven't had much time to work on this. Thank goodness for spring break. We had a few typos in this chapter, thanks to e-mail, but we tried to get them all out. **

**We'll be trying to get another chapter up sometime soon.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: First of all, Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it. We're really sorry this hasn't been updated in so long! Life kind of got in the way. Now that we've finally got back to writing, we plan to update this story at least once a month. This chapter is kind of short, because we wanted to get it posted as quickly as possible, but the next one should be at least 4,000 words. Again, we're really, really sorry this took so long. **

* * *

Once everyone was aboard the Black Pearl, the crew all fell into their old stations, scurrying up the mast to tend to the sails or going below deck to check on the limited food supply and the small amount of gunpowder. Jack was at the wheel, of course, and Harry was helping Will and Gibbs with the mainsail. He couldn't help glancing down at the deck, where Anika was sitting. It was impossible to see her face from here, but he knew she was staring blankly ahead, unable to hear or see what was happening.

The rest of the day passed very slowly. There were leaks from the kraken's attack that needed to be shorn up, and as there was almost no wind in the Locker, the sails needed constant tending. Harry spent the afternoon climbing around in the rigging, helping the pirates whoever he could. He knew he was mostly doing this to avoid his cousin. It felt strange to know he had another living relative so close by – he didn't know what to say or how to act.

As the sun finally sank, the lanterns were lit, and the work continued.

Harry frowned as he saw Elizabeth come up from the cargo hold, wiping tears off her cheeks. Will followed her a few moments later, looking miserable. He stared at his fiancée for a long moment, then turned and headed for the stern, away from her. Harry guessed they'd had some sort of fight. He really liked Will and Elizabeth; they made him wonder if that's what Ron and Hermione might be like in a few years. Still, he wasn't very close to them, and he wasn't going to pry. It was none of his business. He wondered what Anika would think of seeing her uncle argue with the woman she practically thought of as an older sister…

He and everyone else on deck, aside from Anika, whirled around when Ragetti screamed. The tall, thin pirate stumbled away from the railing, pointing at the water in alarm. They all hurried over, and gaped.

There were bodies _in the ocean_. They were all facing upwards, floating along serenely, glassy eyes staring at the sky. They were oddly transparent, like ghosts, but they looked shockingly alive. Harry stared at them, trying to figure out what in the world they could be. He'd never seen anything like them, even at Hogwarts. Several of the pirates shrunk back from the rail as the corpses came alongside the ship, but he, Jack, Elizabeth, Will, and Barbossa didn't move, too transfixed to move.

"Look," said Pintel, pointing. "There's boats, too!"

The boats were small, only seating one person in each. They had no sails, and the occupants weren't rowing; they stared straight ahead, holding lanterns, not moving an inch. Still, the little boats moved forward, coming right at the Pearl behind the small sea of transparent bodies.

"What _are_ they?" asked Elizabeth, stunned. "How did they get here?"

Tia Dalma sighed, striding to the rail and looking out at the sea, watching the bodies sadly. Even Pintel and Ragetti could tell there was some deeper meaning here for her.

"They are those who died at sea. They should be in the care of Davy Jones… That was the duty he was charged with by the goddess Calypso: to ferry those who perished on the ocean to the other side. Every ten years, he could come ashore to see she who truly loved him… but he has become a monster. These poor souls will have to find their own way now."

Everyone watched the bodies and boats silently, no one knowing what to say.

Then the silence was broken by Elizabeth, who gave a sharp gasp and covered her mouth with her hand. She looked as though she'd been stabbed.

"_Father_?" she whispered, staring with wide eyes at a man in one of the boats. "It can't be… no…" she shook her head, eyes locked on him. But as the boat came closer, there was no mistaking the gray-haired man, and suddenly Elizabeth smiled widely. "It is him! We're back!"

The others all frowned. Harry and Jack shared a look, both thinking the same thing.

"Elizabeth," said Jack as gently as he could, "We're not back."

Her smile slowly faded, replaced again by cold fear, and she looked back at her father with dread. She opened her mouth but no sound came out. Will grabbed her hand consolingly, but Elizabeth tore herself away and raced down the ship to catch up with her father's little boat.

"Father! It's me! It's Elizabeth!"

The man slowly turned his head to look at her. "Elizabeth?" He looked alarmed. "What are you doing here? You're not dead – please tell me you're not…"

"I'm not, I'm alive," said Elizabeth feverishly. "You have to come aboard! You'll be safe if you do! You can come back with us… Quickly – I'll throw you a rope –"

He shook his head sadly as she searched for rope. "I can't."

"No, father, wait, please!" Elizabeth finally grabbed a coiled line and threw one end out to him. She had remarkable aim; the line landed right in his lap, but he only stared at it, then looked back up at her.

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth… I'll give your love to your mother, darling…" His boat was drifting further away. Unable to reach, the rope slipped out and fell in the water.

Elizabeth made a noise somewhere between a sob and a shout and raced after him.

"She must not leave the ship!" yelled Tia Dalma in alarm, and everyone ran down the deck after her. Will got there first and grabbed her just as she was climbing onto the railing at the bow. Elizabeth struggled for several moments before finally going still, staring at her father's boat, which was getting further and further away. Finally, she pressed her face into Will's shoulder and started to cry.

- - - - -

At noon the next day, Harry stood on the deck, looking around. They'd had very little dinner the night before and almost no breakfast, but their supplies had still run out. Elizabeth was sitting on the stairs, her head in her hands, while Will stood at the rail, casting concerned looks her way every few seconds. Gibbs was holding up the little bottle he carried with him everywhere, peering inside.

"Rum's gone," he said mournfully.

"So's the water," said Ragetti. "And all the food."

Harry looked at Jack. His cousin didn't seem very concerned; in fact, he didn't look like he'd heard them at all. He was sitting at a small table, frowning at a circular map with strange markings. Harry watched for a moment before striding across the deck and taking the seat opposite Jack.

"_Up is Down_," mumbled the pirate, still frowning at the map. "What the bloody hell's that supposed to mean?"

Harry thought for a moment. "Well, if you're upside-down, then down would technically be up, and up would be down."

Jack smirked at him. "You really are Lily's son, then. And if up is down…" he turned one of the map's circles. "Aha! Not _sun-set_, it's _sun-down_… and rise… _up_!"

"So, for us to get out of the Locker," began Harry, eyes lighting up with understanding, "Down would need to be up!"

They both jumped to their feet. Gibbs, Pintel, Ragetti, Will, and Barbossa had been listening to them talk, and all five pirates looked bewildered, watching as Harry and Jack ran to the port side of the ship, then back to the starboard rail, and to port again. As he passed, Harry frowned at them. There was no way the Black Pearl would flip with just two people trying to overbalance it… they needed the others to join in.

"Look!" Jack shouted, pointing out into the water. "What's that?"

The rest of the crew all hurried over to look.

"It moved!" called Harry, catching on. He gestured to the other side of the ship. "It's over there now!"

All of the pirates rushed to the port railing. Elizabeth had raised her head from her hands at their yelling, and now joined in, racing back and forth across the deck alongside Will. The ship began to list; first to one side, then the other as they ran. Barbossa had also realized what they were doing; he hurried down the stairs to the hold.

"Release the cannons and all the cargo!" he ordered the pirates there.

Now the ship was swaying several feet as the pirates hurried back and forth. Harry caught a coiled line as it skidded past him and hurried over to Anika, who was clutching the railing and looking terrified. He grabbed her hand, knowing, somehow, that she would realize who he was, before wrapping the rope around her wrists and binding her tightly to the rail. Anika's expression was still confused, but she didn't try to fight as her hands were tied. Then Harry rejoined the runners, as the ship tilted violently to starboard, then port. He had to jump the last few feet to reach the rail, and, along with the others, clung on as the deck slanted at such an angle that their feet dangled in thin air.

"We're going over!" yelled Gibbs, face turning red with the effort of holding on.

Cannons, barrels and crates that had been on the deck were crashing into the water below. Over the noise, Harry heard Elizabeth shriek. On his immediate right was Anika; on the other side of her was Will, and then Elizabeth. He immediately saw what had made Elizabeth scream: Will's fingers were slipping from the rail. She tried to grab his sleeve, but it was too late. Will lost his grip, and Harry saw his eyes widen in fear half a second before he fell.

Several pirates shouted out in alarm, but Elizabeth was loudest of them all.

"_Will!_"

Harry shut his eyes, not wanting to see Anika's uncle get smashed by one of the falling cannons, but then Elizabeth gave a shaky sigh of relief and he quickly looked down.

Will had managed to grab on to the six or so extra feet of rope dangling from where Harry had tied Anika's hands to the rail. The last thing Harry saw before the ship overturned was Will clutching the line desperately and Anika wincing as it pulled at her hands. Then they all gasped as the water sucked them under.

Holding his breath and still gripping the rail, Harry opened his eyes. The ship was totally upside-down now. Anika's long hair was drifting eerily in the blue water, as was Elizabeth's. Will was already swimming back up to his fiancée. On Harry's other side, Jack had his tricorn hat in a death grip, ensuring that it wouldn't float away. Some of the pirates had their eyes squeezed shut. There were several moments of stillness, and Harry felt his lungs start to burn with the need for air.

What if they hadn't been meant to flip the Pearl? If not, then they could drown… and even if they didn't drown, they'd have no way to sail out of the Locker…

But just as he was getting desperate, the water around them began to rush forward, taking them and the Pearl with it. They were speeding up, heading toward a beautiful clear blue light…

The next thing Harry knew, he was hitting the deck hard, soaked and gasping for air. Will coughed and spat out a mouthful of seawater, while Elizabeth stumbled to her feet and started squeezing water from her hair with shaking hands. Barbossa leaned on the rail for balance, looking a bit ill, while Jack calmly walked to the wheel, putting his hat back on.

Harry pushed his wet hair out of his eyes, absently noting that he needed a haircut, before hurrying over to Anika. Her face was white and she looked petrified, kneeling and clutching at the railing for dear life. He untied her hands. Immediately, she hugged him, then smacked him hard on the arm. Completely bewildered, Harry watched as she walked away, using the rail to guide her.

After a moment, he shook his head, and crossed the deck to where his cousin, Will, Barbossa, Gibbs, Elizabeth were standing, gazing at the sky.

"It's a sunrise," said Elizabeth softly, grinning.

The others were smiling too. For a moment, they all relaxed, relieved to just be alive, safely out of the Locker.

Then, before Harry could even blink, everyone drew their pistols and pointed them at each other.

Barbossa's pistol was aimed at Jack, and so was Elizabeth's. Will and Gibbs had their pistols trained on Barbossa. Jack aimed his gun at Will; he quickly drew another and pointed it at Barbossa, who also pulled out a second pistol, which he pointed at Gibbs, while Elizabeth pointed _her _second pistol at Barbossa. Harry copied Jack, also aiming at Barbossa. The six of them stood in a circle, glaring, fingers ready on the trigger. The rest of the crew watched in bewilderment, unsure of what to do.

Despite the unnerving fact that he had five pistols aimed in his direction, Barbossa did not seem particularly worried. Glancing from weapon to weapon, he smiled.

"All right, then," he said, taking a deep breath. He'd known that getting Jack out of Davy Jones's Locker would be the easier of his tasks. Now he had to do something far, far more difficult – convincing Jack to attend the meeting of the Brethren Court. He knew Jack wouldn't exactly be eager to go; many of the Pirate Lords wouldn't be pleased to see him again. They could hold grudges for years. But the meeting was the only way to make the seas safe for pirating again. _All _of the Pirate Lords had to be there.

And _that _meant everyone had to work together.

"The Brethren Court is gathering at Shipwreck Cove," he told Jack. You and I are going to be there, and there's no way to argue out of it."

"But I _am _arguing out of it," said Jack. "If there's pirates gathering, I'm pointing my ship the other way."

Elizabeth spoke up. "But the pirates are gathering to fight Beckett, and _you're _a pirate." She took her second pistol off Barbossa and aimed at Jack. Harry glanced at his cousin before drawing a second gun and pointing it at Elizabeth. At the exact same time, Jack stopped aiming at Will and aimed at her instead.

Will looked at them all, before drawing his own second pistol so he could aim at Barbossa _and _Jack.

"Fight or not, you're not running," he told Jack. "Not this time."

There was a long silence.

"If all of us don't stand together, they'll hunt us down one by one, 'til no one's left but you," Barbossa said darkly. "Then you'll be fighting Beckett alone. How does _that _figure into your plans?"

Harry frowned. Barbossa had a point…

"Still working on it," Jack admitted. "But I will _not _be going back to the Locker. Count on that."

And he pulled the trigger.

_Click. _

Instinctively, Harry, Barbossa, Will, Elizabeth, and Gibbs all fired as well.

Nothing happened. No gunshots, no puffs of smoke. They studied their pistols, puzzled. Gibbs shook his and checked the barrel.

"Wet powder," he explained.

Will sighed and threw his useless gun to the deck, while the others returned their own to holsters or tucked them into their belts or sashes.

"So for now we're in this together," said Will, getting back to the topic at hand. "At the moment, we need water. The charts show an island nearby." He pointed to a spot on the map, then off at the small speck of land visible in the distance. "There. With a freshwater spring. We can resupply, and then get on with shooting each other."

Jack eyed Barbossa suspiciously. "You lead the shore party," he said. "I'll stay with the ship."

"I'll not be leaving _my _ship in _your _command," said Barbossa, scoffing. "Or Potter's," he added, when Jack opened his mouth.

Will sighed. "Here's an idea. You three _all _go, and leave the ship in _my _command."

Barbossa and Jack looked horrified.

"It's only temporary," said Harry, rolling his eyes. "I agree with Will. Let's go."

A short time later, five longboats near the deserted shores of the tiny island, while Will, Elizabeth, Tai Huang, Anika, and about a third of the crew remained behind aboard the Pearl. The landing party jumped into the surf and pulled the boats up onto the beach, away from the waves. It was then that they caught sigh of something enormous lying further down the shore.

Pintel and Ragetti gaped at it, then took of running, along with the rest of the crew. Harry followed cautiously, as did Jack and Barbossa.

"Criminy!" exclaimed Ragetti as they all edged closer. "What _is _that?"

It looked a bit like a giant whale, but as Harry looked at it more closely, he could make out tentacles… _lots _of tentacles. Carefully, the group got closer.

"It's a giant squid," Harry realized. "We had one at school, in the lake. People used to play with it…"

"Lily told me about that," said Jack, frowning at the creature. "Never knew it was the same thing as the Kraken."

It took Harry a moment to figure out why his cousin was looking so uncomfortable, as Jack was usually very calm and unconcerned about things like this. Then he remembered where he'd heard about the kraken before, and looked at it in shock.

"That's the thing Jones sent after you and the Pearl?"

Jack nodded, scowling at it.

"All right," called Barbossa, who had not heard their conversation. He waved his hands impatiently at the crew, who were now walking around the kraken and poking at it with sticks. "We don't have all day. Let's get to that spring and head back to sea!"

The crew nodded and followed as he led the way into the jungle, ducking through undergrowth and weaving around palm trees. After only a few minutes, they came to a clearing, in the center of which was a large pool of water. Several pirates gave sighs or relief and smiled when they came to the spring, but as they got closer everyone froze, slowly taking in the sight of the dark water and the pale corpse floating in it.

Barbossa scooped up a handful of water, tasted it, and spat it right back out again.

"Poisoned," he said. "By the body."

Harry frowned. The corpse looked familiar. Where had he seen that man before? The answer came suddenly, and a terrible suspicion gripped him. This was one of Sao Feng's men; Harry had seen him in Singapore. And if _he _was here, Feng was surely nearby as well…

Then there was a shout from the beach, a faraway scream, and an explosion.

* * *

**A/N: A bit of a cliffhanger ending. Again, we're really sorry this took such a long time. Please review!**

**Happy holidays, and happy new year!**


	16. Sorry AN please read

I'm so so so sorry that's its been a year since this story was updated. Me an the co-writers are no longer friends so that's why the story hasn't been update. I'm going to try an write this story by myself but I need a beta. So if you want to be a beta for this story then please let me know.

Oh an I have an idea to make this story more in this time period which mean that there would rated T or M. tell me what u think I wont delete this story I would still write it but I would also write the new version too.


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